Her head shook furiously. “No! That’s not what I said. I meant that it might have been better for you. You wouldn’t have had to waste your time and money dragging me across Europe just to clear my name. You wouldn’t have been attacked in Zurich, and you wouldn’t have been sh —”
“Stop it.” Alex’s arm was trapped in an iron grasp. “You stop it, right now.” She struggled to one elbow, glaring at Alex the whole time. “Number one, this has not been strictly about you, or about Perry. It’s about making sure the conspiracy is broken. Number two, don’t you dare tell me I’ve been wasting all my time. Cause it’s not true.” It can’t be. “There is nothing else I could have, or would have, done.” And no one else I would have done it with. “So, don’t you go telling me what’s good for me or bad for me. Got it?” You’re good for me. Can’t you see that?
Alex nodded. Her eyes were shiny with unshed tears, and her hands were gently draped over Teren’s shoulders. “I got it, Ter. I got it.” She pushed the shoulders gently. “Now, would you lay back down, please? If the doctor walks in, he’ll throw me out, and strap you in bed for a week.”
Teren growled at the mention of the doctor, but let her weight sink back onto the bed. She was suddenly aware of the pounding in her head again, and she closed her eyes against the pain.
Alex rested her hands on Teren’s arm, and just watched her for a while. She expected her wounded friend to fall back asleep, but her breathing never deepened, and eventually, eyelids lifted to reveal blue once more.
“I still say it wasn’t your fault, though.”
She got a weak grin from Teren, who lifted her arms in invitation.
Alex leaned into them, resting her head on Teren’s chest, just above her heart. She closed her eyes for just a moment, to enjoy the warmth and peace she always found here. The drumming under her ear made her smile, even as it relaxed her.
Teren realized Alex had fallen asleep on her shoulder. She didn’t care. With a soothing circular motion, she rubbed the smaller woman’s back, letting her own eyes drift shut. In a few minutes, Alex would wake up and pull away from her, but for now, she was right where Teren wanted her to be.
Teren wanted to enjoy it as long as it lasted.
Gerd found them that way a few moments later, and stood watching them for a few moments. Teren looked more peaceful in that moment than he had ever seen her before. He smiled, thinking that his normally somber friend had finally found someone to care about.
Tiptoeing into the room, Gerd lifted Alex’s legs, and moved them back into a more comfortable position. The woman shifted, but didn’t awaken. Taking a blanket from the end of the bed, Gerd covered them both.
He closed the door as he left.
“No. Absolutely not, it’s out of the question.”
The doctor started to walk away from Teren’s bedside, but one long thin hand reached out for his arm.
“Just listen, Doc. I’m serious. You keep me here any longer, and I’m gonna go stir crazy.”
“Teren, you were shot in the head!”
“It barely hit me. Gave me a headache, that’s all.”
“And seventeen stitches, as well as a headache. No. You are not going anywhere.”
Alex, who was leaning against the wall by the door, could see the frustration building in her friend’s face. She could understand the doctor’s concern, however, she also knew that staying in bed all day wasn’t something Teren dealt with well. It had been almost twenty-four hours since she’d been shot, and to Teren, that was long enough.
When she heard the growl coming from Teren, Alex decided to step in.
“Um, Doc?”
The man turned to Alex in surprise. He’d completely forgotten she was there. “Yes, Alex?”
“I don’t think she’s ready to be out of bed either,” she said with a grin. Teren’s growl got louder for a moment, and Alex winked at her. “But is it really necessary for it to be this bed?”
“I don’t —”
Alex held up a hand to stop his protests. “Look, you have her being helped from the bed to the restroom, but she does it standing up, right? Walking, with assistance?”
“Well, yes, but —”
“And it’s very important for a patient to be comfortable in order to rest, right?”
“Of course.”
Waving a hand at the woman in the bed, Alex asked, “Does she look comfortable to you?”
He turned back to the bed, and eyed Teren warily. “No.”
“Then, why don’t we compromise? Teren will ride to the house in a wheelchair. It’s a very short distance. From there, she’ll get in bed, and she will not get out without assistance, nor will she get out of bed for any reason except to go to the restroom.” Alex sent a hard stare Teren’s way. “And if she does she’ll answer to me.”
Teren grinned.
The doctor chewed his bottom lip for several minutes, his gaze going back and forth between both women. Finally, he took a deep breath and nodded.
“Alright. I’ll allow it. But,” he added, “the restrictions on reading and television are still in force. You need to rest your head, and that includes your eyes. Understood?”
Teren nodded, still grinning.
“And Alex, if you have to leave her alone for any length of time, you will alert me so I can have a nurse there.”
Alex nodded, trying not to smile at the sudden frown on Teren’s face. “I understand. It’s not a problem.”
“Okay, then. I’ll get some people together to help with the transfer. Can you get her dressed?”
“No problem, Doc.” Alex grinned at Teren as the man turned to leave. She waited until he was out of the room before she pointed a finger at her partner. “You’re going to behave. Understood?”
Teren nodded, the grin back on her face. “And you’re going to help me get dressed, right?” The grin turned into a leer.
Alex rolled her eyes and reached for the bag that held Teren’s clothes.
Gerd had a car pull up on the lawn next to the hospital door, and they loaded Teren into that rather than a wheelchair. She grumbled the whole time, but allowed them to drive her to the safe house where she and Alex were staying. After getting out of the car, she told Gerd that she didn’t need his help getting inside, but allowed Alex to put an arm around her waist.
Alex recognized the stubborn look on Teren’s face, but saw pain with it as well. Without a word she slipped Teren’s arm over her shoulders, and led the way to their suite. To everyone else, it looked like they were simply walking down the hall. In reality, Teren was leaning heavily on Alex. The dizziness had increased, and her head was pounding again.
Gerd had offered to unlock the door to their set of rooms, but Alex declined, thinking Teren would want as few people around as possible right then. Instead, she reached for the door with her left hand, and kept a firm hold on her taller partner with her right arm. When they got inside, and the door closed behind them, Teren leaned back against it, trying hard not to lose the meager dinner she’d had an hour earlier.
“Can you make it to the bedroom, or do you want to crash on the sofa for now?”
Teren nodded. “Bedroom. Just give me a minute.”
A few minutes later, Teren was sitting on the edge of the bed, letting Alex undress her. She wondered why they had bothered to get her dressed in the first place, but decided the cold air of a German evening in February was reason enough. Her thoughts wandered, a little more than usual, until Alex finished by pulling a fresh t-shirt over her head.
“You ready for bed?”
“I thought I just got out of bed.”
“Well, pal, you’re going back. You’re white as a sheet, and I’ll bet your head’s hurting worse, isn’t it?”
Teren nodded. She felt miserable. But at least she wasn’t in that stupid hospital bed, and that thought brought a tiny smile to her face.
Alex handed her a glass of water, and a pill. After Teren took it, Alex helped her under the covers, and then pulled them back up to her chin.
“Are you warm enough?”
“Yeah.”
“Are you comfy, or do you need another pillow?