Kris tried, with little success, to ignore the throbbing as she gazed at Shelby, her mind still groggy. She tried to connect the pain she felt wracking her body with the sight of her partner regarding her with such loving concern. Gradually, the pieces began to fall into place. An image of her mother filled her mind. I am so screwed. She closed her eyes tightly, half-expecting Shelby to start grilling her with questions. Instead, a soft voice asked, "How about some Aleve?"
Her mouth dry, Kris rasped, "Thanks."
"Be right back."
Kris' mind turned to the events of the evening, and she sighed in frustration. What the hell am I going to do? What is Shelby thinking? The effects of the sedative had just about completely worn off, and it even hurt to take deep breaths. She began moving her legs and quickly discovered she was naked. This was even worse than she'd thought. Shelby had seen the damage, and there was no way the woman was going to let her brush it off as a simple mugging.
Shelby returned a couple of minutes later with two pills and a large glass of water.
"Let me help you sit up."
"Wait." Kris knew she had to sit up to drink, but the idea of moving was abhorrent. She also knew it would be much worse for her not to move, and the idea of accepting help for such a basic movement increased her feeling of helplessness.
Shelby watched the conflicting emotions flicker across the tall woman's face and suddenly realized the reason. "If you'd rather do it yourself, it's okay." She held her breath as she waited for Kris to respond. If Kris couldn't accept her help for something this simple, they had no future.
Kris gazed into the sympathetic, green eyes regarding her gravely. She nodded. "Thanks, I'd appreciate it. I'm a little sore."
Relieved, Shelby looked at Kris pointedly. "I would imagine you are." She slid an arm beneath the tall woman's shoulders, helping her up until Kris was supporting herself on an elbow.
Kris took the two pills and swallowed them with water. After drinking deeply, she handed the glass to Shelby and broached the obvious. "You saw."
"Kinda hard to miss."
Nodding, Kris decided to take care of immediate needs first. "I've got to use the bathroom." She focused on getting out of the bed with a minimum of movement.
"Need some help?"
Kris knew she could manage by herself, but was unwilling to turn down the compassionate offer, knowing it could be one of the last she'd receive. "Yes, but let me get my feet on the floor first."
Nodding, Shelby waited at the side of the bed. She watched as Kris gingerly brought her legs around until they reached the floor. Holding out an arm, she said, "Take hold. I'll help you stand up."
Kris grasped Shelby's arm and began to stand, surprised at the strength of the smaller woman, even as her body protested every movement. She leaned heavily on Shelby for several moments until a wave of dizziness passed and the pain became more manageable. Shifting her weight to her own legs, Kris began making her way to the bathroom.
Shelby remained at the operative's side as she slowly walked down the hallway. She left her at the bathroom door, handing her the sleeping shirt she had removed earlier.
Even though she was burning with a desire to know just what was going on, Shelby was more concerned about how Kris felt, and it was obvious to her that the operative was still very groggy and desperately in need of healing sleep. She decided to put her questions on hold until later.
She had already tried to think of all the likely scenarios, and some of the possibilities were frightening. There was no doubt in her mind that Kris was involved in something illegal. But what? And she had obviously displeased some highly trained people. Tonight had proved that. Her thoughts turned briefly to the note, and the words, 'To do so would greatly endanger both of your lives.' Shelby sighed. She could speculate all night, but only Kris held all the answers.
Left alone, Kris examined her body, unsurprised at the damage. She was lucky, really. None of her ribs appeared to be broken, even though it hurt to breathe deeply. She carefully donned the shirt and opened the bathroom door to look for Shelby.
Seeing her standing in the bedroom doorway, she asked, "Did you happen to see my gun?" She hoped it had been returned with her.
"Yeah. I put it in the closet. I'll go get it."
"Would you bring the box of ammo on the top shelf, too?" Kris knew it wouldn't have been returned loaded.
"Okay. Go ahead on into the bedroom, and I'll bring it in there."
Kris eased down into the chair near the bed and waited for Shelby to return. She knew she had a lot of explaining to do, and wished the painkiller would kick in to alleviate some of her discomfort. On top of that, she was exhausted. She snorted derisively. Just woke up and I'm still tired. Go figure.
Shelby walked into the bedroom and handed Kris the gun and box of shells, watching as Kris loaded them. She noticed the operative lacked her usual smooth movements, and couldn't miss the signs of pain Kris was trying desperately to hide.
Looking up, the agent said, "I know you have a lot of questions. Make yourself comfortable, it's a long story."
Shelby studied the tall, attractive woman sitting on the chair gazing at her. Kris was finally willing to trust her with the truth, and the analyst felt like their friendship had just progressed light years from what it had been even hours ago. Shelby decided right then and there to show Kris that her trust wasn't misplaced, and fully extended her own trust, silently committed to helping the operative out of the mess she was in, any way she could.
Kris' stoic act didn't fool Shelby; she knew the injured woman was really hurting. Her face was pale and drawn, and fatigue lined her face. All her movements were guarded and goose bumps lined her arms. A few more hours wasn't really going to make any difference, and she couldn't stand the idea of being responsible for causing Kris to suffer any more than she already was.
"None that can't wait a few more hours. You look terrible. Why don't you get some sleep? We can talk in the morning."
Kris sighed in relief. "Thanks."
Shelby smiled. "You take the bed. You need it a lot more than I do. I'm sleeping on the couch tonight, so don't bother arguing about it."
"Please don't."
"The couch isn't big enough for you even when you're not hurt. You take the bed."
"Only if you sleep in here, too."
Shelby eyes reflected surprise. "I don't want to hurt you anymore. If I move..."
Kris gazed at Shelby, her thoughts tormented. If only for tonight, she wanted the comfort of having the smaller woman close. It might be the last chance she got. It all depended on how Shelby felt about her after they talked in the morning. "You won't hurt me."
Shelby paused, indecisive, then slowly nodded her head. "Okay. I'm going to change."
A couple of minutes later, Shelby slid carefully into the opposite side of the bed, taking care not to jar her companion who was already lying down.
Kris reached over and took Shelby's hand. She found the simple comfort afforded by the contact relaxing, allowing her to put her troubles and concerns in a dark corner of her mind and fall back into the blackness she'd so recently emerged from.
Her hand joined with her partner's, Shelby's mind began to quiet and she soon followed Kris into the realms of sleep.
Kris slept fitfully, waking before Shelby the following morning. She lay quietly, fully feeling the effects of the punishment inflicted on her body the night before. Her grimace turned into a smile at the sight of the sleeping woman lying next to her. Sometime during the night, they had both moved toward the center of the bed, driven by a need their waking consciousness hadn't allowed.