by Susan Stoker
“I don’t get what that has to do with seeing a psychiatrist,” Alicia said honestly.
“All my life, I’ve felt like a burden. To you, to mom and dad, to the people around me, and it’s all because I always tried to be so independent. But Dean made me see that independence doesn’t mean I can’t lean on someone else. When I have a nightmare, Dean holds me and lets me talk about it. When my head hurts, he gets me drugs. He lets me be me, and I know down to the marrow of my bones that when I need him, he’ll be there. That’s why I don’t care one thing about Douglas. If he gets out of prison, Dean and his friends will be there to protect me…and I’ll let them. I’m not afraid of him.”
Alicia’s lips curled into a huge smile. “You really are okay about it, aren’t you?”
“I am.”
“You know that Matt and I will also be there if you need us, right?”
Adeline nodded. “Yeah. I do. Thank you.”
“You’re welcome. Tired?”
“A little.”
Alicia swung her legs off the bed and stood. “I’m gonna make peanut butter cookies while you nap.”
“My favorite,” Adeline said, informing her sister of something she already knew.
“Yup.”
“Love you, sis.”
“I love you too. I’ll pop back in later to check on you.” Alicia squeezed Adeline’s leg and slipped out of the room.
For the thousandth time since she’d woken up in the hospital to see Dean hovering over her, and realizing she remembered him and everyone around her, Adeline felt like the luckiest woman in the world.
That night, Adeline woke up when Dean sat on the bed next to her. The light in the bathroom was on, softly illuminating the room. She opened her eyes and furrowed her brow in confusion. “What are you doing here? Shouldn’t you be at the station?”
“Yeah,” he whispered, keeping his voice down so he wouldn’t wake up her parents who were sleeping in the guest room across the hall, “but I wanted to see how you were doing.”
“You couldn’t have sent a text or called?” Adeline asked, still half asleep.
“Not the same as seeing my wife in person. You feeling okay?”
“I’m fine, Dean. Promise.”
“Good.” He tenderly brushed a lock of hair from the unshaved side of her head out of her face and behind her ear.
Adeline felt her heart melt. God, she had the best husband. She pulled her arm out from under the covers and put it on his knee. Feeling mischievous, she inched her hand upward until it rested on his cock. She felt him twitch under her fingers.
“What are you doing?” he asked with one brow cocked, but she noticed he didn’t protest or otherwise move her hand.
He’d been right by her side, from the moment she went in for the final tests before her surgery until she’d kicked him out of the house and made him go back to work the day before. Everything he’d done had been for her, now she wanted to do something for him.
Adeline moved her hand until she was cupping him through his pants. She squeezed lightly, then ran her palm up and down his hardening length.
“Fuck, that feels good,” Dean said huskily.
Feeling bold, Adeline brought her other hand out of the covers and undid the button to his cargo pants and slid down his zipper. She scooted over on the mattress, giving her husband room next to her.
“Lay down, Dean,” she ordered softly.
He went to turn to lie next to her and Adeline shook her head. “No, just like that. Your head down there and your feet up here.”
“Are you sure?” he asked, not moving.
“I’m very sure. You’ve done nothing but give to me since my surgery. Let me do this for you.”
Dean slowly moved his legs up to the bed, shifting only enough to push his pants and boxers down over his crotch, then he lay back, propping himself up on his elbows. His erection rested on his belly and he had a goofy grin on his face.
He was in the perfect positon for Adeline to reach him with her hand without straining. She propped her pillows up so she could rest back on them and still be able to see what she was doing. Then with her right hand, she grasped his hard cock and stroked.
Immediately, a soft groan left his mouth and his eyelids dropped to half-mast.
“Shhhh. Don’t wake my parents up,” Adeline cautioned with a saucy grin. “The last thing I want is for them to come rushing in here thinking I need them, only to find my hand around my husband’s cock.”
She stroked him faster, using the pre-come that was already leaking from the tip to lubricate his length, allowing her to pump faster.
A few minutes later, Dean dropped his elbows, falling to his back as he groaned under his breath. “God, beautiful. Your hands feel so good. Fuck.”
“You got hard really fast, Dean. Haven’t you been taking care of yourself?” Adeline asked, genuinely curious. She figured he’d been masturbating in the shower each morning. She certainly hadn’t felt close to wanting to fool around, but thought he’d for sure be getting himself off.
“No. I didn’t want to come without you.”
His answer sent a warm and fuzzy feeling shooting through her and she felt the first twinges of arousal since the surgery. She wasn’t up to making love yet, but was relieved she was finally feeling back to normal.
She tightened her hand, slowing her strokes again so they were unhurried and methodical. “That’s crazy, Dean. I don’t think it’s healthy for you to hold it in.”
He chuckled. “In a minute or two there won’t be any more holding it in. Faster, beautiful. Please.”
Complying immediately, Adeline moved her fist faster up and down his length. One of Dean’s hands came up to fondle his balls as she continued to stroke him.
“Concentrate on the tip…fuck that feels good,” Dean crooned as she did as ordered. His other hand got into the action as well, slowly stroking the base of his dick as her palm rapidly moved up and down over the tip of his cock. The pre-come that was now constantly leaking out of the mushroom head more than lubricated her palm and the sounds of her caresses seemed loud in the quiet room.
Adeline felt his orgasm move through his cock even before he groaned low and long in his throat. He half sat up and his buttocks tensed as his dick throbbed under her hand. Keeping it over the head so he wouldn’t make a bigger mess than he was already about to make, Adeline watched as Dean released into her palm. She gently held him as he twitched and pulsed under her hand.
Finally, he let go of himself and fell backward in a heap. Adeline caressed his softening length and kept her hand around him as they lay there silent for a long moment. Eventually, Dean sat up and grabbed a couple of tissues from the nightstand. He cleaned her hand first, then wiped himself down, pulled his underwear and pants back up and fastened them. Then he turned and put his hands on either side of Adeline’s waist and leaned down, nuzzling her neck and the skin behind her ear.
The smell of sex was heavy in the air and Adeline felt almost as relaxed as Dean obviously did. She put her hands on his chest and caressed him as he whispered in her ear.
“Thank you, beautiful.”
“You’re welcome.” Adeline beamed up at her husband.
“You know, that wasn’t why I came home.”
She kept smiling. “I know. And I hadn’t planned on that, but you’ve done nothing but care and do things for me. I wanted to do something for you for once.”
“For the record, you can give me a hand job anytime you want. I’ll never complain. But you don’t owe me anything. Never. It’s been my pleasure and privilege to watch over you and help you get better. And it’s been a miracle to witness exactly how successful your surgery was. You’ve had only that one small seizure since the operation and it makes me thankful each and every day for modern medicine.”
“Me too.”
“As much as I’d love to return the favor, you’re squinting and I know that means you’re in pain. When was the last time you took a pill?”
/> “Lunch, I think.”
Dean leaned down and kissed her lips, lingering just a moment to brush his tongue over her bottom lip, then pulled back and kissed her forehead. “I’ll be right back.”
In a couple moments, he was back with a pill and a glass of water. He helped her sit up and she swallowed it down. Dean got her situated back on the pillows then leaned over her again. “Beth and Penelope will be here in the morning?”
Adeline nodded. “I think around nine.”
“Good. I’ll call around lunch and check in.”
“You don’t have to.”
“I know, but I want to.”
“In that case, I’ll look forward to hearing from you,” Adeline said with a smile.
“Go to sleep, beautiful.”
“Love you, Dean.”
“And I love you too, Adeline Christopherson.”
“I caught Crash sneaking into the fire station last night,” Penelope told Adeline with a smirk. “Any idea where he’d been?”
Adeline smiled, but didn’t say anything.
They’d eaten lunch and Penelope, Beth, and Adeline were sitting in the living room. The TV was on low in the background, but they weren’t watching it. Coco was sitting between Adeline and Beth, his head resting in Beth’s lap while she absently petted him. Penelope was sitting nearby in an oversized leather chair.
“He came to see you last night? But your parents were here, right?” Beth asked, confused.
“Yes and yes. He said he just wanted to check on me. It was the first night we’d spent apart since my surgery.”
“Oh my God, that’s so sweet!” Beth exclaimed.
“He had a mighty big grin on his face,” Penelope remarked.
Adeline threw one of the pillows she’d been holding at the other woman and everyone laughed.
“All kidding aside, I think it’s great,” Penelope told Adeline. “Not the sneaking home to get some, but the fact that he’s so in love with you he doesn’t want to spend even one night away from you.”
“For the record? We didn’t make love. My head still hurts too much for that. But he might’ve still gotten some satisfaction while he was here.” Adeline blushed when the other two women whooped and cheered. “But yeah, even though it’s not feasible for us to spend every night together, especially not with his work schedule, I had no idea how hard that first night would be. It took forever for me to get to sleep, and it was such a nice surprise to wake up to him sitting next to me.”
“I’m so happy for you two,” Penelope said with a hint of sadness in her voice. “You’re both so amazingly strong and you couldn’t have found better men…and I’m not just saying that because you’re with my brother, Beth.”
“You’ll find your guy,” Beth told her best friend. “I know it.”
Penelope shrugged. “Maybe, maybe not. I’m so not ready to be in a relationship. There’s too much shit going on in my head to ever think I’d make a good girlfriend.”
“You’re still attending the group sessions, aren’t you?” Beth asked, referring to the group therapy sessions for victims of kidnapping. It was where they’d met when Beth first came to town.
“Now and then. I think I’ve gotten all I’m gonna get out of them,” Penelope said, then waved her hand, dismissing the topic. “But enough about me. Let’s talk about houses! Have you guys found something you both like yet, Adeline?”
Adeline didn’t really want to let the topic of Penelope’s mental state drop. There was something behind her eyes that wasn’t good. An emptiness that was disconcerting. It was as if she was there laughing and talking with them, but her soul was crying.
Not knowing the other woman well enough to push, but promising herself she’d talk to Beth about it later, Adeline began to talk about the different houses she and Dean had been considering.
They spent the rest of the afternoon talking about topics ranging from houses, to sex, to assistance dogs, to the best thing to eat when you’d drunk too much. Around dinnertime, Adeline’s parents arrived and the women said their goodbyes, promising to come over again soon and chill. They also made vague plans for a night out when Adeline was feeling more up to it.
Around eleven that evening, an hour or so after Adeline had gone to bed, there was a knock on her bedroom door.
Her mom stuck her head into the room and asked, “You awake, baby?”
“Yeah, Mom. What’s up?”
“Your dad and I were watching the news and there’s a huge warehouse on fire. It’s bad, and there are tons of firefighters downtown fighting it. I thought you should know.”
Adeline gasped. She’d been so concerned about her own surgery and what was going on in her life, she hadn’t once stopped to think about the realities of what it was Dean did for a living.
Taking a deep breath, she forced herself not to panic. “I’ll get dressed and come out and watch with you…if that’s okay.”
“Of course. Let me know if you need anything.” Her mom shut the door behind her.
Adeline snatched her cell phone off the bedside table. No missed calls and no texts. But if Dean was fighting the fire, he wouldn’t be able to stop and call her.
He was fine. She believed that to the marrow of her bones. Dean and all his friends were good at what they did. Really good.
She climbed out of bed and threw on a pair of sweats, then shuffled into the living room, still holding her cell phone.
Two hours later, her parents said good night and headed off to the guest room. There hadn’t been any more updates on the television, and she hadn’t heard anything from Dean. She had heard from Beth, who texted to say she’d hacked into the fire band channel where the incident commander was giving instructions and information to the firefighters and police officers on site. She’d been sending updates about the fire, how it’d been only five percent contained, then ten, then twenty. At one point she messaged to say there were two firefighters down, but she didn’t know who they were.
Adeline didn’t take her eyes off the small phone screen, torn between terror that Dean was lying trapped in a burning building and the conviction that he and his friends were just fine. She finally fell asleep around two in the morning on the couch, Coco sleeping on his side on the floor near her.
Once more she was awakened by the feel of Dean sitting next to her. But this time she was immediately awake and alert. “Are you all right?”
He smiled gently at her. “I’m fine.”
“Everyone else?”
“All fine too.”
Adeline breathed out a sigh of relief. “Good.”
“How long have you been out here?” Dean asked, leaning down and kissing her forehead.
She smelled the faint scent of smoke, but since his hair was damp, it was obvious he’d showered before coming home. “What time is it?”
“Six.”
Adeline shrugged. “My parents went to bed around one.”
“You up for breakfast?”
“With you? Always.”
He helped her up and they went into the kitchen. For the first time since her surgery, she felt almost no pain. When the bacon was frying, Dean went and got her medicine, and she took the pills with a big glass of orange juice.
When the eggs and bacon were done, they settled into chairs at the dining room table. Dean took her hand in his. “You okay?”
Adeline nodded. “I was scared, I won’t lie. But I know you and the others are good at what you do. Beth was listening to the commander in charge of the scene and I got a little worried when I heard about the trapped firefighters, but then I decided that if, God forbid, it was you who was trapped, I would’ve heard about it from someone. Your boss, one of your friends, Beth, someone. Then I remembered our vows. In sickness and health. It truly hit home that my fears before my surgery, about you leaving me, were ridiculous. You would’ve no more left if something went wrong than I would if you were hurt on the job. I love you, Dean. I’m proud of what you do and even though I don’t particul
arly enjoy seeing the fires and stuff on the news, I know you’re doing what you love, and if there’s any chance, I mean any chance, you’ll come home to me. So yeah, I’m okay.”
“God, I love you,” Dean said reverently, gently pulling her to him with a hand on the back of her neck. He kissed her, then pulled back just enough to rest his forehead on hers. Whispering, he asked, “When are your parents leaving?”
Adeline giggled and whispered back, “Not soon enough.”
Still keeping his voice down, Dean said, “I can’t wait to taste you again. To watch as you come hard for me as I’m sucking on your clit. If you think you’re up to it, we can start slow and easy.”
“I’m not sure I’m up for multiple orgasms, but maybe a little fooling around. I’ve missed your touch.” Adeline confirmed immediately with a smile.
“I love you.”
“And I love you.”
Dean pulled back and kissed the side of her head right above the still healing wound. “I’ll be careful, beautiful. If you feel even one twinge of pain, let me know and I’ll stop.”
“I will.”
“Good. Now eat. You need to keep your strength up.”
Adeline smiled at her husband as Dean sat back. Living with a firefighter wasn’t easy, but then again, neither was living with someone with epilepsy. It was a matter of give and take, and she was content to do both.
Happily forking some eggs into her mouth, Adeline couldn’t help but think about Dean’s single friends. After a hellacious, dangerous night, they were going home to empty houses and apartments. It seemed heartbreaking that they didn’t have the love that she and Dean did.
Around one in the afternoon, Chief pulled his SUV into his driveway and saw that his lawn had been freshly mowed. He was surprised, but grateful as well. He was exhausted after having stayed until any chance of the large warehouse rekindling had been suppressed. His shoulder hurt from where a section of a wall he’d been standing near had collapsed. He’d moved fast enough so he wasn’t trapped beneath it, but it’d glanced off his shoulder when he’d turned away from the falling wall.
