Mended Hearts

by Sarah Markel

  “Wow... that... I... just wow" Kelly said, curling herself against Alex's chest. The last few hours had turned from slow, passion fueled tenderness, into a hard, urgent need for release. Alex smirked, laying her hand on Kelly's hip. “Yes Ma'am. That just about covers it for me too.” Alex had only ever had a night of sex like that with Callie. She had doubted that Kelly would be able to keep up with her stamina, but the woman had turned out to have just as much as she did. “I think I can live with being a sub,” Kelly said with a chuckle. Laughing, Alex buffed her nails on her chest and replied, “I figured you wouldn't mind. I am quite good at what I do.” Kelly raised up and laid a kiss on Alex's lips, “And not too cocky, I like that in a woman.” She said playfully. Rolling onto her side and pulling Kelly closer, Alex whispered, “You're the first person I've been with since my wife died, and I never thought I would be happy again. Thank you for changing that.” Honored, Kelly replied softly, “Alex, I want you to be happy again. No one should live their life in mourning. I want to be the one to make you happy.” Contented, the two women fell asleep in each other’s arms.

  Chapter 22

  Alex woke to the sun streaming on her face. Grumbling, she shut her eyes tight and reached for Kelly. Feeling blindly around the bed, she opened her eyes when she realized the bed was empty. A small twinge of panic fluttered in her chest. Did I dream the whole thing? She wondered to herself. Looking around, Alex spied a white lace bra hanging on the door of the closet. Smiling to herself when she realized it wasn't hers, her heart soared. It did happen! Oh, wow, I slept with Kelly. Angie is going to have a field day with that. She thought with a chuckle. Climbing out of bed to get dressed, the smell of sausage swirled around her. Taking a deep breath, Alex sighed. I could get used to that! She thought to herself as she pulled on a pair of shorts and a tank top.

  Once dressed, she headed down to find Kelly. When she reached the kitchen entrance, Alex leaned against the wall and watched Kelly as she prepared breakfast. Alex watched, unseen, as Kelly transferred sausage links from a skillet onto paper towels, then set aside the pan and bent down to search under the cupboard. Unable to resist the urge, Alex quietly walked to where Kelly was bent over. Alex laid her hands gently on Kelly's waist as she pressed her hips against the other woman's ass. Startled, Kelly stood straight up, pressing herself back against Alex. “You scared the hell out of me!” She said, her heart beating quickly. Placing a kiss on Kelly's neck as her hands wandered up her abdomen and cupped her breasts, Alex apologized, “I'm sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you.” Tipping her head back as Alex dotted her neck with kisses, Kelly purred, “You're forgiven, but you might want to stop before something catches fire.” Alex chuckled, “Okay, okay, okay. You win. For now.” Placing one last kiss on Kelly's lips, Alex went to sit at the island and watch.

  When she was finished, Kelly set a plate of sausage, eggs, berries, and an English muffin in front of Alex, then joined her with her own food. “This looks great, babe. I'm usually not this hungry in the mornings, but for some reason I feel like I need it. It's almost as if I spent the night having sex and have no more energy.” Alex quipped playfully. Kelly gave her a playful look of annoyance, “Babe, huh? Are you sure you're ok calling me that? If you start, I may never let you stop.” Alex let herself consider that for a moment, then shrugged, and replied with a smirk, “I can handle that... babe.” She felt her heart melt when she looked into Kelly's eyes and saw tears. “Whoa, what's wrong?” She asked with concern. Kelly shook her head and wiped at her eyes. “Nothing's wrong, honey, I am just really happy you feel that way.” Leaving her plate, Alex walked behind Kelly and wrapped her arms around the woman. “I'm not going to treat you like the other women you have dated. I'm not going to hurt you.” She said, determined to show Kelly what it's like to be treated properly.

  Just as Alex leaned down to kiss Kelly's head, the phone rang. Letting out a heavy sigh, she went to grab her phone. “Hey Ange... No, I said I would pick them up around noon.” Alex listened for a moment, then spun around quickly to look at the clock on the wall. “Holy shit! I'm so sorry, I overslept. No, I'm serious, I've only been up for about fifteen minutes. Okay, we'll be right there.” Hanging up the phone, Alex ran her hand through her hair. “I gotta go get the kids from Angie's. I can't believe it's after noon. I never sleep that long. Do you want to come with me?” She asked. Kelly looked just as surprised as Alex. “Oh wow, is it really? I didn't even notice! I'm sorry, I would have woken you up if I had known! Yeah I will come with you, just let me put my bra on.” She said, putting her plate in the sink and heading upstairs.

  Once the women had themselves together, they headed out to Angie's house. “Do you want to take me home after getting the kids?” Kelly asked, placing her hand gently on Alex's thigh. “Oh... I guess, if that's what you want.” Alex replied, her face looking somber. “Alex, you don't have to. I just didn't want to intrude on your time with the kids. I mean, I had you all to myself yesterday.” Kelly said, patting Alex's knee softly. Quit thinking the worst! She has to go home sometime, you dummy. Alex chastised herself. Giving Kelly a reassuring smile, Alex replied, “You don't have to go home right now. If you want to stay, I will take you home after dinner.” Kelly nodded, happy that she didn't have to leave and face the hours alone until work the next day.

  When the women arrived at Angie's, Steve was standing on the front porch, waiting for them and looking terrified. “Oh my God, what happened?” Alex asked quickly, wondering why the man would look so scared. “Just a heads up, Angie is in a mood. All of the kids are out back, it might be a good idea to go around, rather than through. I've been out here almost ten minutes. She locked me out.” He said with a nervous laugh. Rolling her eyes, Alex used her key to open the front door. “I told you to stay the fuck outside, Steven!” Angie yelled from the kitchen. “Oh shut up and calm down, Angie.” Alex yelled back. When they reached the kitchen, both women stopped as Angie pinned them both with a glare. Looking from Alex to Kelly, Angie's look softened. Folding her arms over her chest, she gave them a look of triumph. “I knew it. I knew there was a reason you overslept.” She said to Alex with a grin. Alex and Kelly looked at each other and blushed. Both women let out a yelp when Angie grabbed them both and hugged them tight. “Oh! I'm so happy for you both!” She squealed.

  Struggling to get loose, Alex gasped, “Angie! Air!” A little embarrassed, Angie let them go, apologizing as she did. “What the hell is going on, Angie? Steve looks like he's afraid you might murder him.” Angie's glare reappeared, and the woman spat, “Good! Maybe he will think twice before he decides to play pranks next time.” Alex raised her eyebrow. “Pranks? What did he do?” She asked, wondering what he could have possibly done to make Angie that mad. “Oh, go look outside. Take a good long look at the kids.” She replied indignantly. Hesitantly, Alex went out onto the back porch and called the kids. One by one, the six children filed onto the deck, heads hung as if they had done something wrong. Curious, Alex went to Zane and tipped the boy's head up to see his face.

  “Sonofabitch!” She screamed, whipping around and heading for the front door. Feeling a little uncomfortable and concerned, Kelly sat on the deck sofa and was joined by a livid looking Angie. Alex returned a moment later, dragging Steve by his shirt. “Why, Steve? Why would you do that to them? School isn't out for another two weeks! They have to go to school like that!” Alex bellowed, making Steve wince, and the kids giggle. “I used a dry erase marker, I thought it would wash off!” He said, defending himself. Curious, Kelly asked "What did he do?” Alex, looking like she was about to hit Steve, told the kids to look up. When they did, Kelly tried to suppress a laugh. All six children had been marked with a different colored handlebar mustache. At Alex's withering look, Kelly stood and went to her and laid a gentle hand on her arm. “Honey, it'll be fine. I know how to get it off.” She said, still trying not to laugh. “I already tried. I washed their faces a dozen times with warm soapy water.” Angie said. Kelly shook her head and chuckled. “If i
t's dry erase marker, regular soap can actually make it stain. You have to use either anti-bacterial soap or baking soda and pharmaceutical grade rubbing alcohol. Since you already tried washing their faces with soap, we're going to have to go with the alcohol and baking soda.” Looking relieved, Steve said "We have some rubbing alcohol upstairs, I'll go get it.” Stopping him as he headed inside, Kelly spoke up "Regular store bought alcohol won't work. It has to be pharmaceutical grade. Which means from a pharmacy or hospital. I have some at my house, why don't we all go to over there and I will get these mustaches off.” She suggested.

  Looking relieved, Steve hugged Kelly, thanking her profusely. Chuckling, Kelly took Alex's hand and pulled her aside. “Calm down, sweetheart, he was just playing a prank. Granted he shouldn't have done that, but come on. You've pulled pranks that didn't work out, haven't you?” She asked, looking into Alex's eyes. After a moment, Alex smiled. “It was kind of a cute prank.” She said, closing the distance and kissing Kelly gently. At the sound of the kids groaning in disgust, Kelly chuckled against Alex's lips. “Ok you guys, get loaded up. Let's get you all cleaned up, then you can play in my backyard on the trampoline.” She said, taking Dej and Anya by the hands. “A TRAMPOLINE?” The kids asked in unison. Nodding, Kelly led the children back into the house. “What?” Alex asked, noting the look both Angie and Steve were giving her. “Nothing" they replied together as the three of them went inside.

  Chapter 23

  "Okay, sweetie, look at the ceiling for me.” Kelly instructed Anya as she applied the baking soda and alcohol paste to the girl's upper lip. Once she finished, she instructed the children "Alright, you guys stay right here for five minutes, then we will wash it off.” After getting an acknowledgement from all six of the kids, Kelly went into the kitchen to join the other adults and wash her hands. Drying her hands on a kitchen towel, she sat next to Alex at the table. “In about five minutes, we can wash the paste off and the kids will be good as new.” Smiling, Alex leaned over and kissed her, Angie and Steve making "aww" sounds as they watched. Kelly blushed, “Oh shut up you two.” She admonished them, making the group laugh. “So, how about lunch? You guys want to go to Billy's?” Steve asked. Shaking her head, Alex politely declined. “Honestly, I'm kind of restauranted out. How about we do a late lunch, early dinner barbeque instead?” She suggested. “Oh! That's a good idea. If Steve can bring his grill over, we can do it here. I have a big yard the kids can play in, and the four of us can sit on the patio and visit.” Kelly offered.

  After the others had agreed, Kelly said, “It's settled then. Steve and Angie can go get the grill, Alex and I can stay here and finish up with the kids.” After a moment’s thought, Kelly remembered, “Oh! I forgot, someone will have to go to the store to get food. I haven't been shopping all week, and I don't have anything here.” After a few minutes of discussion, Steve and Angie decided to make the store run and stop by Alex's house to get some food for Dej. When the couple headed out to run their errands, Alex and Kelly gathered up the six kids and herded them into the kitchen to wash their faces. Once all of the children had been de-mustached and were sent out to play, Alex went to Kelly and wrapped her arms around the woman's waist. “Look at you, all domestic, and mommyfied.” She said playfully. Smiling, Kelly kissed her softly, “I love it. I've always wanted a family to look after, but none of my exes wanted that. They were too wrapped up in themselves to bother with kids or commitment.” She explained. Smiling down at Kelly, Alex asked "How about you come stay another night with me. You can see what it's really like to do bedtime and school time routine, then we can go to work together. Plus, you know, there's the whole we-will-get-to-sleep-together-again thing.” She added with a wink. Tipping her head back to laugh, Kelly retorted "That's probably not the best thing to say if you are actually wanting to sleep. I think we underestimated each other's sex drives last night.” Shrugging, Alex replied "Fair point, but this time we know what to expect in terms of how much sleep we will get.” Kelly giggled, pulling away from Alex. “Alright, I'll come stay the night, but right now we have six little people out back who are currently unsupervised."

  Kelly headed out the door, pulling Alex along as the other woman playfully groaned in protest. “Alright midgets, line up!” Alex hollered to the kids as the two women made their way into the yard. After the kids came over, Alex told them "You guys can play and have fun, but remember... this is Kelly's house and we are going to respect her property. That means no climbing on things without permission, no taking things apart without permission, Jaxon that means you, and no peeing in the yard, Zane that means you.” Giggling, the kids all agreed and went over to play on the trampoline. “Does Zane actually do that?” Kelly asked, slightly appalled. “No, and Jax doesn’t really take things apart. I just wanted them to know I was serious without thinking they were in trouble already. You'll get used to it.” Alex explained. “Oh, good.” Kelly sighed with relief, making Alex chuckle. Pulling Alex along, who continued to protest playfully, Kelly went to her shed and together the two women pulled out the patio furniture. Once they were all set, Kelly went inside and busied herself making them all a snack. While stepping out the door, she felt a burning thud in her stomach, and the trays, her assailant, and Kelly all hit the concrete patio with a loud thump. A blood curdling scream brought Alex running, just as Steve and Angie walked into the kitchen. Running to the patio, Steve and Angie picked up Tommy, who was screaming at the top of his lungs with blood all over his face. At the same time, Alex helped Kelly up and the two went into the kitchen where Steve and Angie had set Tommy on the counter and were mopping up the blood. “Is he okay?” Kelly asked. Cleaning up the blood, Steve answered "I can't tell where the blood is coming from.” Grabbing kitchen towels from the drawer, Kelly handed them to Angie and headed off to get her first aid kit. “Babe, you've got blood on your shirt.” Alex said to her, taking her arm and stopping her. “This isn't his blood.” Steve said after getting his son's face cleaned up.

  After setting Tommy on the floor, Steve, Alex, and Angie all looked at Kelly, who had gone white. “Babe, that's got to be your blood.” Alex said, lifting Kelly's shirt to reveal a two inch gash along her side. “How in the hell did that happen?” Alex asked, concern evident on her face. “I don't know, I didn't see what happened. I just felt a burning pain as he ran into me.” Alex turned to Steve, “Go find out if Tommy had anything in his hands, I'm going to clean this up and see how bad it is.” Nodding, Steve went outside. Alex led Kelly down the hall to her bedroom and helped her take off her shirt. “Sit on the bed and let me look at that.” Alex instructed. Doing as she was asked, Kelly sat, leaning back on one elbow so Alex could see the wound clearly. Examining the area, Alex muttered, “Shit" as she noticed the wound was still open and actively bleeding. “You need stitches, babe. I'll let the others know I am taking you in, and send them home to feed the kids.” Kelly placed her hand on Alex's shoulder, causing the woman to look up at her. “Don’t do that, honey. They can stay here and feed the kids.” Just then, Angie knocked on the door and let herself in, carrying a long thin strip of metal. “Tommy said he found this and was bringing it to you when you two collided.” Alex took the strip and set it on the dresser, careful that it didn't stick out. “I'm going to take her in, Angie, she needs stitches. You and Steve stay here and feed the kids. We will be back as soon as we can.” She said to her sister as she carefully helped Kelly to her feet. Taking Kelly out to her SUV, Alex buckled the woman in carefully. “Just relax babe, A few stitches and we will be back here before you know it.” Smiling, Kelly replied with a chuckle, “Honey, I think you are more worried about it that I am. It doesn't even really hurt.” Pressing one hand to her side, she reached over with the other and laid it on Alex's arm.

  Chapter 24

  "Okay, big pinch.” Said the nurse as she stuck the Tetanus shot in Kelly's arm. Once she was finished, the nurse handed the discharge papers over and politely excused herself. Careful not to jostle the sutures on Kelly's side, Alex helpe
d her out of the gown and into a spare scrub top she had found in the SUV. Once they were all set, Alex drove them back to Kelly's house. “They're back!” The two women heard as they walked through the gate. “Did you get stitches?” Asked Tommy as he came running around from the back yard. “I did, and I think I might get a scar too.” Kelly replied, ruffling the boy's hair. Taking the child's hand, the group walked to the back to join the rest. Alex took a seat next to Angie as Kelly obliged the multiple requests to see her stitches. “That didn't take too long, I expected you to be gone for another few hours at least.” Angie said. Watching Kelly interact with the children, Alex shrugged "They weren’t overly busy today.” Angie sat, watching her sister with a smile until Alex turned to face her. “What are you staring at?” She asked, eyebrow raised. “Oh, nothing.” Angie replied, “I was just enjoying seeing you look at her the way you do.” Alex gave her a playful shove, “How am I looking at her? I always look at people with my eyes. It's kind of hard to see them with my ear.” Laughing, Angie shoved her back. “You look at Kelly the same way you used to look at Callie.” Alex looked back at Kelly, who was heading over to join the two women. “Do I really?” Alex whispered. Nodding, Angie smiled and patted her on the shoulder.