Heal Me

by Grady, D. R.

  “Nothing you guys need to worry about,” Jenna tried to reassure them. She didn’t actually back herself against the door and hold her arms up in the universal stay out pose, but she thought about it. She didn’t believe TJ would want the men to know she’d gotten her period and was absolutely miserable with the confounded thing, so Jenna attempted to hold the inquisitive and concerned men off.

  “Is she sick again?” Fred asked. His agitation grew.

  “In a manner of speaking,” TJ answered from the doorway. She swiped a hand across her mouth.

  She shouldered past the men and headed back into the kitchen. When she got there, Jenna, who led the procession after TJ saw the female detective stare at her plate in revulsion. Swallowing, TJ saw the pills Colleen picked up to swallow and stared at the ones Jenna pressed into her hand. She locked eyes with her and one red eyebrow rose in inquiry. Jenna rolled her head and nodded, then put a discreet hand to her own abdomen.

  TJ cleared her throat, nodded and offered an invitation to both women, “Let the men do the dishes. Pajama party in my room.”

  Colleen nearly groaned and nodded vigorously. “I’ll be there in five minutes.”

  Both women turned to her and Jenna thought longingly of that heating pad. “Definitely count me in.” She turned to Owen, who looked as perplexed as the other men, and blatantly leaned over to kiss him.

  “Don’t take our absence personally, but we really need to do this,” she whispered to him.

  “How can I take something personally I don’t understand?”

  Her cheeks flooded with embarrassment. He must have noticed because his brow crinkled. “I can’t tell you, it’s too embarrassing,” she said so only he could hear and watched as TJ carried her mostly full plate to the sink and left the room. Colleen kissed Mark and followed her.

  Jenna leaned down and kissed Owen again before dropping her plate by the sink and headed for the stairs. Thoughts of that heating pad dominant in her mind.

  Fred broke the silence in the kitchen after the women left. “Okay, someone want to tell me what that was all about?”

  “Don’t know,” he said vehemently.

  Mark shrugged. “I don’t either.”

  They sat staring at each other and when Owen finished off his meal took his plate to the sink. He loaded the dishwasher and took the other guy’s plates, all of them still quite confused.

  “We can find out,” Fred announced, and he caught the dubious look his friend sent upstairs.

  “How?” Mark asked.

  “I’ve got cameras at each window, but the one in TJ’s room is split so I can see both her window and bed. Aren’t the girls meeting there?” With little fanfare, Fred dumped the leftovers into containers.

  The atmosphere in the room crackled with tension as an assistant D.A. and a cop fought with the temptation to know what was wrong with their women but knew the law and couldn’t help but feel if not quite legally wrong, spying on their womenfolk was at least morally wrong.

  “I don’t care if it is wrong, I’m going to look at what that camera shows,” Fred said decisively as he finished putting the leftovers away. He spun on a heel and made for the basement stairs.

  Owen stared at Mark, who stared back and Mark handed him the last dish. He put it in the dishwasher and said finally, “I don’t care if it’s wrong either. I need to know what’s wrong with Jenna and McCully.” He started the machine then headed for the basement stairs.

  Mark nodded and sighed as he followed at Owen’s heels. “I’m going to get thunder if Colleen finds out, but I’d like to know too. I have a good idea, but let’s make certain.”

  “We won’t tell if you won’t tell,” he said as they entered Fred’s room.

  “Deal,” Mark returned and they crowded behind Fred and watched as he typed in commands for the camera in McCully’s room. When the camera focused they saw all three women lying on McCully’s bed. Colleen lay on the far side with McCully in the middle. Jenna was on her left side, closest to them. Fred typed more commands and the camera zoomed in. Both Jenna and Colleen lay on their sides with their knees near their chins, holding something on McCully’s lower abdomen.

  “What are they doing?” he asked.

  Neither man answered but Fred narrowed the camera’s focus again, zeroing in on McCully’s face. Pain etched her features and Jenna’s arm flexed on her abdomen. “She’s in pain,” Fred stated unnecessarily.

  “But why?” Owen asked. Fred expanded the camera focus again, and they saw Jenna brush a hand over her own abdomen. She hid it better, but Owen thought she was also in pain.

  “What if,” Mark started but broke off.

  “What if what?” Fred and he said at the same time and turned on him.

  “What if they all got their periods?”

  “Got their periods? I thought women got them at different times of the month.” Fred turned to him, but Owen shrugged because he had no idea.

  “I did too, but I read one of Colleen’s magazines while I waited for her to get ready one night and it mentioned women who live together can cycle together. That might explain their pain.” Matthews gestured toward the screen.

  Owen grunted and yanked out his phone. He found the number he wanted and waited impatiently for his mother to answer.

  “Hello?” she asked.

  “Mom, it’s Owen, I’ve got a question for you.”

  “Yes, dear?” she asked and he thought he could hear a smile in her voice.

  “It’s a personal question,” he prevaricated.

  “I’m your mother dear, you can ask me anything.”

  “Well, this isn’t something Fred or I know anything about, since we didn’t grow up with girls.”

  “What?”

  “Can women’s periods come at the same time?”

  “Yes, if they’re living together, it’s quite common.”

  “And can it make them really sick?”

  “Did TJ throw up?”

  “Yeah,” he answered.

  “Oh, my. Find her a strong heating pad and have her curl up. She gets really sick with hers sometimes.”

  “What about Jenna, do you think she could be sick with this, too?”

  “I don’t know her very well dear, but most women have cramps their first day. TJ just happens to get quite sick with hers.” His mother paused, “Jenna’s a doctor so she should know what to do about them.”

  “Oh, I’m sure she does. We’re just trying to figure this out.”

  “I’m happy to help, love. Heat will help.”

  “What kind of heat?”

  “Usually women use a heating pad. A hand would probably work.”

  “Okay, thanks Mom. I really appreciate this information.”

  “You’re welcome, my son. That’s what mothers are for.”

  Owen grinned as ended the call. He explained what his mom told him and that McCully especially had seriously difficult cramps.

  Fred’s eyes remained locked on her. He zoomed in on her face again and Owen went cold when the light from the nearby lamp showed tears on Jenna’s face before the camera focused on TJ who gritted her teeth. Fred jumped to his feet so quickly he bumped into both of them.

  “I can’t stand it. She’s hurting,” he spit out and jabbed a finger at McCully.

  Owen turned toward the door with him. “Jenna’s got tears on her face,” he muttered and followed his friend to the stairway. Mark loped after them and the three of them made their way upstairs.

  Fred burst into the room first and all three women turned in surprise. Owen hurried to Jenna and tenderly plucked her up off the bed. Mark did the same with Colleen. Fred crawled on the bed with McCully and tugged her into his lap. He removed the heating pad from her abdomen and placed his hand there instead. She curled around his hand before McCully wrapped her arms around him and burst into tears. Fred went pale but hauled her closer.

  Owen glanced at Jenna, who also witnessed the scene on the bed, but he thought he’d better give his partne
r some privacy. She’d be safe with Fred, who would take care of her. Instead, he carried Jenna to her room. He heard the door of Colleen’s room shut with a soft bang.

  He climbed onto the bed and settled Jenna in his lap. He placed his hand much as he’d seen Fred do and Jenna curled her legs up exactly like McCully had. “Why didn’t you tell me?” he whispered.

  He felt her sigh. “It’s really hard to tell a man you got your period. They’re usually not something you talk about in public. I guess it’s embarrassing.”

  “You can tell me. I can’t help you if you don’t say anything.”

  “Thank you,” she said softly and Owen felt something nudge his soul. He realized it was her. Jenna Fields had somehow made her way into his very being.

  “You’re welcome,” he said gruffly, tugging her closer. She complied with easy grace. “Will McCully be okay?”

  “I think so. Some women have really nasty bouts with their periods. She said it hasn’t been this bad in years.”

  “Fred was like an avenging angel going up there. I don’t think anything could have kept him from her.”

  “I noticed that. In you, too. You didn’t seem stoppable either.”

  He kissed her hair and breathed in her scent. “I saw the tears on your face.”

  “Yes, I’m in pain. Not enough to make me throw up, but enough to turn me into a blubbering idiot sometimes,” she said self-depreciatingly.

  “You’re not blubbering and you’re not an idiot.”

  “I get cranky,” she warned and he smiled.

  “That’s okay, so do I and I don’t need a period for that.”

  He was rewarded with a soft laugh and she raised her head to look at him. He sank into her eyes and then their lips met and the world ceased to exist.

  Fred tugged TJ closer, careful to keep his hand pressed flat against her abdomen. Tears dampened his shirt and he swallowed. TJ McCully crying was far worse to handle than TJ McCully hissing at him. Now she reminded him of a fragile doll that if he wasn’t careful, he could break. He felt the muscles in her abdomen contract and the movement provided him a small inkling of the pain she experienced. She gasped and held her breath as she tried to ride out the pain.

  He worked his other hand into the fold of their bodies and pressed in what seemed a futile attempt to ease her. She curled her legs tighter to her chest and clenched her teeth. Tears continued to streak down her face.

  “Can’t the doctors do anything for this?” he asked desperately, wanting to remove the pain but he didn’t know how.

  “Baby,” she mumbled, her jaw still clenched.

  “What?” he asked, certain she hadn’t just called him by an endearment. Surely not.

  “I....have.....to......have......a.......baby,” she said brokenly, between pants.

  Fred pulled away from her and stared. She continued panting and he waited until she rode out the wave of pain before asking for clarification.

  “You have to have a baby to stop this pain each month?”

  “Not each month anymore. Just a few times a year. Doctor said if I had a baby, it’d go away, most likely,” she said more evenly and he nodded.

  “They can’t do anything?”

  “I have a prescription, but I forgot to get it refilled. It takes away the pain but makes me feel awful for a few days. Not......worth......it,” she answered and started panting again as another wave of pain began.

  “Nothing else works?”

  TJ raised her head and looked at him, her green eyes still wet with tears. “You are,” she said candidly and he appreciated the honesty in her eyes.

  He was humbled by her response and gave her a squeeze that made her smile. “Don’t worry, I’ll be mean to you again tomorrow, Savage.”

  He grinned. She was okay if she could heckle him.

  “We’ll just call this an aberration and get back to normal after it passes,” he offered.

  “Deal,” she said, but curled closer. “Just don’t leave me right now, okay?”

  “Okay,” he promised.

  The next morning when Owen went in to wake her, he found McCully and Fred twisted together in some sort of dual human pretzel. He reached out to shake her and she burrowed into Fred and wrapped herself more securely around him, resisting his attempts. Shrugging, he reached out to physically pick her up, but this time Fred’s arms tightened around her and Owen again came up with a still sleeping partner.

  Jenna moved up behind him and murmured, “It’s probably best to leave them. Both of them could use the sleep they’re getting.”

  Owen turned to draw her into his arms and had to smother a yawn before he replied, “I’ll let the station know she’s down for the count for the morning.”

  “She’s had a hard week and a half. Perhaps you should call in and tell them the two of you are down for the count,” she suggested, her eyes scanning his face in worry.

  “I’m fine,” he said, but had to cover another yawn.

  One delicate eyebrow rose and she cocked her head. “I don’t think so,” she said with a gentle smile.

  “What, you think I’m less than fine?”

  “I think you could use some more sleep,” she explained as they left the room and closed the door with a near silent click.

  “What about you?”

  “I could definitely use more sleep,” she admitted.

  “But?”

  “I don’t need to be in the office today until eleven, so I’m going back to bed,” she answered with a wicked grin.

  “In that case, maybe I’ll let someone know McCully and I aren’t going to be in the office until later this morning.”

  “Mark and Colleen are awake,” Jenna said and they heard a car engine start up. Owen padded to the window and saw Mark’s vehicle pull out of the side driveway.

  “Looks like they’re going to work.”

  “They’ve been getting enough sleep, and have had weekends off. We haven’t,” she explained around a yawn.

  “Right,” he agreed and went for the phone. While he spoke with someone at the precinct, Jenna disappeared into the bathroom and closed the door.

  By the time she returned, he had already crawled back into bed. She joined him and they curled into each other. Holding her felt good. “Did you set the alarm?”

  “I did.” They fell asleep in moments.

  When the alarm blared later that morning, it startled them both, and they reluctantly opened their eyes as she turned it off. Leaning over her, Owen gave Jenna a sleepy good morning kiss, which she returned. They grinned at each other before rolling out of their cocoon.

  “I wonder if McCully and Fred are up yet,” he said, scratching his chest.

  “I don’t know,” she answered and stepped into his arms for a squeeze. They stood together for a little while before he caught sight of the clock and they parted.

  She headed for the shower and he to the basement. When he left the room, he collided with Fred. Who pushed a sleepy hand through his hair.

  “Tough night?” he asked his friend.

  “Yeah, but that’s the best sleep I’ve had in ages,” Fred said in a croaky voice.

  “How’s McCully this morning?”

  Fred rolled his eyes. “Feisty as ever. She slept well if her bad attitude is anything to go by.”

  “She actually spoke already?” Owen asked in alarm as he followed his friend down the stairs.

  “Uumhmm,” Fred replied.

  “Was that an affirmative or a negative?”

  “Affirmative.”

  “Did what she say make sense?”

  “Well, how would you interpret, what are you doing in my bed?” Fred actually sounded like her. It was uncanny.

  “That’s probably a pretty clear indication she’s going to be a handful and then some today.”

  “Yeah.” Fred scratched behind his ear and led the way across the kitchen.

  “So, what’d you answer her with?”

  “I told her to shut up and go back to slee
p.”

  “And did she actually listen?” Owen asked, fascinated despite himself.

  “Yeah, the first time. The second time she kicked me out.”

  “How come you’re smiling?” he asked suspiciously as they hit the bottom of the stairs in the basement.

  “Well, it was the way she said it.”

  “How?”

  “Like she couldn’t remember,” Fred said happily.

  “Like she couldn’t remember why you were there?” he attempted to clarify.

  “Right. She really does wake up in a fog, doesn’t she?”

  “Yes. So you messed with her, of course,” he surmised. Now he feared what they’d encounter once they got back up the stairs.

  “Of course. The lure was certainly too great to resist.”

  “You take the shower first. That way, the bloodshed will have already occurred by the time I get upstairs for breakfast.”

  “Okay,” Fred agreed, and he whistled as he went in search of his showering things. The fact that he didn’t seem worried didn’t alleviate Owen’s fears. Fred rarely got worked up, so he wasn’t an accurate on the concern scale.

  Owen finished his shower a little later and loped upstairs, hoping to avoid a potential war zone in Jenna’s kitchen, but he also wanted to see her. He flung open the door and saw he was the last to show. Fred had disappeared behind the paper, while Jenna stood in front of the toaster. McCully slurped her coffee happily, and managed to snag one of Fred’s mini doughnuts. She dunked it in her coffee and got it stolen back before she could pop the saturated treat into her mouth.

  Fred swallowed it nearly whole, grinned at her in triumphant and went back to his paper. She kicked him under the table before stealing another doughnut. This time she slid down to the end of the table and stuck her tongue out at him before taking a bite out of her contraband. Fred followed her around the table, managing to keep the remainder of his doughnuts out of her greedy grasp.

  Relieved to see they were back to normal, Owen crossed the expanse of tile and tugged Jenna into his arms. He dropped a kiss onto her shiny lips and didn’t even mind that he’d be wearing some of her lip gloss.