He was still there when I woke up a couple hours later, sitting squished into the end of the couch because I was taking up the rest of it. He had his feet up on the coffee table, in blue socks, eating shredded chicken with sour cream and tortilla chips. The house smelled wonderful. I was starving. 

"Still here," I said, smiling though it hurt like a bitch.

He almost spilled his plate, and set it on the table, turning to me. I put my arm over my face. "How are you, chérie? Of course I'm still here."

"Wouldn't turn down some meds," I admitted. He jumped up to get them, clad in black pants with a torn knee and a v-neck white t shirt. I was astounded at how much I hurt. I wished I had Remy there tied to a chair so I could beat her with a length of pipe and set her on fire, not something I joked about lightly.

"I'm still here too, " Bella said from the kitchen. She came into the living room, wiping her hands. "But since loverboy here has promised to remain for at least a week, I'm going back home. Pretty sure I left my milk out, not that it matters now."

I noticed Reed come out of the bathroom, but my head was still wrapped around "at least a week". "Really?"

"Yeah, on the counter."

"I think she means--" he began, handing me the pills and water.

"I know what she means," she cut him off. "So you better really stay at least a week." She got her purse and regarded me. "I won't hug you, you might break."

"I'm unbreakable, thanks," I said as haughtily as I could.

"I know you are," she said, and put her hand on the top of my head for a moment. "Je t'aime," she said. "Be careful, for the love of God. I put some food in to heat up, he can get it for you in a minute." She pointed at Reed. "You'd better take care of this whole thing, Reed. I mean it."

"I already have," he said, sitting back down and picking his plate up. "I had her committed to an institution for the criminally insane," he added offhandedly, scooping up chicken with a chip. "Obviously involuntarily."

We both stared at him, she to see if he was serious, I because I could tell he was. "That's so awesome," I said happily. "Haha, seriously, that's the best thing ever."

Bella looked at me. "He really did?"

"I really did," he said, shrugging. "I know some people."

"I'm not often wrong about people," Bella began as the microwave dinged. "And I'm not saying I have been about you. I don't like your disappearing shit, but I think you don't like it either. And you love Heidi, that much is obvious."

He looked at me. I was blushing."Tu as tellement raison." You are so right.

"Ouais enfin," she said, which was only fancy talk for yeah, well. "I rest my case. If you break her heart I'll take yours out. Shit, what am I saying; you do it all the time."

"Bye, Bells," I said, my cheeks and insides still warm from all the love talk. "Thank you for coming, for cleaning up, everything."

She waved and gave Reed a stern look and let herself out. 

He got up again and locked the door and set the alarm, then went into the kitchen for my food. I sat up while he was gone. It was a little easier with the meds kicking in. I also had to pee but it could definitely wait until they started working more.

"Any better?" He sat back down carefully and put a pillow on my lap, then balanced the plate on top. "It's hot. Here, I could just . . . " He picked up a forkful of chicken.

"You don't have to feed me," I gently protested, taking it from him. The arm she'd kicked was my left, which was also the side my injured hand was on. Luckily I was right handed and was able to manage the fork. Chewing hurt but I dealt with it. "Do something else," I told him, because he was hovering without looking at me.

His phone chimed and I looked at him in alarm but he shook his head. "No, they won't ask me to go anywhere for at least the week, chérie; don't fret." He looked at his phone while I tried not to scarf the chicken and smiled. "Here," he said, and moved a few inches closer so he was touching me. I looked at the phone.

It was a picture of a furious, red-faced Remy in an actual white straight jacket.

"That's so brilliant," I said in admiration. "How did you think of that?"

"I just thought of the most appropriate place for her, and made it happen." He had a Coke in a bottle and drank some. "They threw away the key, too."

"I love it. Send it to me so I can forward it to Bells." There was an open Coke for me too and I managed to stop eating long enough to drink some. So good. "I didn't call, by the way. Bella did. I didn't even know until earlier today."

He put down his bottle and ate one of his last few chips. "I know."

"I probably wouldn't have even called," I said, knowing I wouldn't have.

"I know," he said again. "That's why I'm forever indebted to her." He ate the last chip, using it to scoop the last of the chicken and sour cream up, and put his empty plate on the table.

"She probably just wanted to see what happened when we called the number."

"Either way, this needed to be taken care of, and I want to be here for you when you're hurt."

Sweetheart.

He looked wrecked. "You look really tired," I said.

He smiled a little, sitting back next to me again. "Is this arm okay? If I sit like this?" I nodded. "I was in London. It takes about twelve hours to get back home. Otherwise I would have been here sooner."

I considered that, which was difficult as the medicine set in and slowed my whole thought process. "So you haven't slept probably much." What I really wanted to say was What were you doing in London?

He shrugged. "I slept some on the plane. Laisse tomber." Never mind. "Tell me what happened."

I did, not leaving anything out but not giving him a blow by blow either. He felt bad enough. "I'm probably lucky, right? I mean, considering? She really could have left me outside all night. I thought she was going to do it." I put my fork down, too tired to eat any more.

He took that hand and played with my fingers. His ring, which I thought of as his mood ring though it didn't change colors, still adorned my thumb. He twisted it, then rubbed my palm with his thumb. "I'm sorry," he said again. "So sorry."

"You're fine, stop." I held up my plate and he took it and put it on the table for me, regretfully letting go of my hand in the process.

"You want dessert? Anything?"

"Mmm-mmm," I declined. I carefully stood up to go to the bathroom. Everything protested. My ribs shrieked at me to stop whatever the hell it was I was doing. I sucked in my breath and stopped moving completely while they readjusted to my standing postition.

"Addy," he said, anguished, standing and reaching out but not touching me for fear of hurting me. "Let me help."

I let him. I sat down to pee while he waited outside and looked at my thigh on the left side. There was a rock hard lump there and a bruise as big as my fist, and it throbbed in time with everything else. I was feeling somewhat sorry for myself but thought of what she was doing right that moment and felt a lot better.

"Let's lay down. You'll be more comfortable in bed, won't you?" He was anxious about what to do and I wished I could just make him see that I was okay.

"Sure," I said.

"I can sleep on the couch so I don't jostle you."

But the thought of being alone made my insides clench, even if he was sleeping right there on the couch. "Would you stay with me?"

He was waiting while I slid under the covers, then tucking me in. "Of course. Right here. Soon to be always, if all goes well."

That sounded kind of like a marriage proposal to loopy me, but I didn't mention it. "Did you find out any more about that?"

"Only that it's still the plan."

"By, like our birthdays, maybe?" We were both born the week after Christmas.

He yawned, taking off his pants and getting under the covers with me in his boxers, which were green with blue spots. He put his left arm out and I carefully snuggled into it, uncomfortable no matter which position I took. He stroked my hair back from the scars on my face but I let him. His touch countered all the pain. "Possible, but not plausible."

I sighed. "How was London? How many times have you been there?"

He continued playing with my hair. "Foggy. And, mmm, five? Six. Five. Or six," he finally decided. "Best fish and chips in the world. Wish I could bring you some every time I go. We'll go there someday." He yawned again.

"Before or after Mt. Fuji?"

I felt him look at me sideways. "I'm serious, Addy. There are so many places you have to see, to go to . . . the list is too long."

"There's a list?" I was yawning now.

"Right here," he said, pointing with his other hand to his head. "A very long list, mamour." My love.

"Okay," I said amiably. 

I allowed myself to daydream about a trip around the world, which led to a real dream in which we were on a sinking boat. I woke up with a gasp and tried to sit up, but my ribs quickly put a stop to that idea and I sank back down, conscious of his body next to me.

"Here, I have medicine here," he murmured, feeling blindly on the nightstand. He put the pills into my hand and folded my fingers over. "Water." That came next and I swallowed them.

We lay back down carefully, his arm around me again. I wished he could be there all the time. He knew, so I didn't say it. I think he felt the same.

We obviously couldn't do any climbing, which would normally put a serious damper on my life, but having him there to watch movies and shows with me more than made up for it. We ordered a new computer and set it up and replaced a bunch of stuff she'd broken, all of which took the remaining days he was able to stay.

And then he left. Again.