by Gavin Green
Chapter 27
"It'd only be for a little while, darlin'," Brody said. "I wanted to get pictures of Ella and Shey on Santa's lap." He'd been trying to get Kate to relent for most of the day and into the evening since his fight with Devlin that morning. Feeling weak and chilly, he'd napped on and off since.
The dogs had stayed near to him the entire time; Honey even took post on the bed next to her master and ignored Kate's orders to get down. Brody suspected dogs who were in tune with their owners must have something akin to Kate's nimbus sight, but sensed rather than saw current states. Honey played the role of devoted caregiver, Keller was the sentinel and kept near the bed, and Pearl divided her time between napping with Brody and seeing what Kate was up to.
Kate flitted around the house the entire day with energy borne of anxiety, only once venturing out to market for iron-rich foods and drinks to help restore Brody's considerable blood loss. Despite his assurances between naps, she initially felt guilty about not coming to his aid that morning. By afternoon, that guilt had been quelled, but replaced with fearful 'what-if's'. What if Liadan didn't remove all possible infection; what if the blood loss resulted in anemia; what if Brody would have died. Kate's own imagination haunted her.
Anytime Brody was awake and merely resting, Kate was plying him with food and drink. It started with granola bars and apple juice, then small pork cutlets and baked potato with lime water. By that evening she was serving him pasta with sausage and peppers with red wine; all of it high in iron.
Brody almost felt guilty for the pampering, but Kate was resolute in her care for him. He noticed her constant activity and nervousness, treating him like fine china. It was new emotional territory in their relationship, somewhere he hoped they wouldn't visit again. For the time being, he didn't try to deter Kate from her tense activities, other than to ease any fears or self-incrimination. Brody decided to let his love see that he was on the mend; that is, until Kate's constant hovering got too old.
There was an annual event in Ballaghadaere set for that evening, when a fire truck would deliver Santa to the village hub, handing out small gifts to children and posing for photos. Jack and Fiona would be bringing Ella and Shey, of course, and Brody and Kate formerly had plans to attend as well in what was always a large crowd.
Under the new circumstances, Brody would have normally conceded to rest and plenty of fluids, if not for Kate's jittery attentions. In his mind, she needed out of the house more than he did; visiting with family and friends would do her worried mind some good.
"Love, you know you need all the rest you can get," Kate reminded him while she fluffed a pillow. By evening, Brody had moved to the couch, where he was made as comfortable as possible. "Fiona will be taking enough pictures for the entire village, I'm sure. We'll just get some of those."
He sighed, lifted his feet for the pillow to be placed under them, and said, "Okay, fine; you've tucked me in too tight to move, anyway. So why don't you just go, Kate? Ella's crazy about you. It'd make her sad if you weren't there."
Kate stood straight and glared at him with narrowed eyes. "That's foul play."
Brody sighed, "Oh stop it. You know you wanna go, so just go. It's not like I'm gonna go for a bike ride or anything. You've set me up like a king here, and the dogs will look out for me while you're gone. Go have a little fun, darlin'. You've been buzzing around the house like a fly all day. Go get out for a bit; I promise I'll be fine." He reached out to hold her small hand. "Please."
Finally wavering, Kate quietly said, "I did want to see all the smallies with their smiling, rosy cheeks..."
"Yes, you did." Brody let go of her hand and gave her a pat on the thigh. "Go see all the kids with Christmas in their eyes. Give Ella and Shey a hug for me, and tell Jack and Fiona I'm sorry I couldn't make it. Just say something about me having an Atlantic call I couldn't get out of. Oh, and get some shots of all the village lights so I can brag to Jamal."
Kate hesitated. "You're sure...?"
"Sure, I'm sure. But first..." Brody took Kate's hand again and pulled her on top of him. Her face was awash in fear that she might hurt him, but he smiled and wrapped his arms around her. Kate's concerns were eased when Brody leaned forward and kissed her longingly. As their mouths lingered on each other's, his hands began sensually roaming and groping.
Kate broke the kiss and breathlessly whispered, "Brody, you shouldn't..."
Their eyes locked, both briefly mesmerized and basking in the moment. With a sly grin, he said, "Yeah, you're right. But when I'm back on my feet, I have plans for you, darlin'." He gave her a playful slap on the rear to break the mood. "Now get off me and get going. I swear, Kate, you're a nympho."
She scrambled off him, torn between indignation and laughter. With a sudden move, she pulled his foot pillow away and hit him in the stomach with it. Smiling triumphantly, Kate stepped back. "It seems you need to work on your defenses, big man."
Brody grinned back as he held the pillow, looking at her beautiful face. Gone were the apprehensive frowns and fears for his health. "I let it happen for a reason, darlin'. Kind of like this morning."
