By Meggie

(Special thanks and acknowledgements to Marie with the medical stuff!)

A smile slowly spread across her face as she folded the faded, soft green New York Jets shirt. Lifting it to her face, Jeffrey’s woodsy scent still lingered despite the washing machine’s successful efforts to remove dried mud from the previous night. Meggie then closed her eyes, allowing the safe and familiar musky undertone to wash over her protectively.

"Oh Jeffrey," she finally said, placing the shirt on top of his other washed clothes. Scooping them all up at once, she turned and headed for her bedroom. She paused inside the doorway, taking a moment to study him. Afternoon light fell upon his resting head, accentuating the silver in his slightly tousled hair. Her eyes wandered downward, noting the creases in his forehead, the slight dark circles under his eyes, and the stubble of hair on his face. His bare chest rising and falling as he soundly slept. Meggie sighed, moving quietly inside to place the pile of clothes on a chair before moving towards the bed. She slowly eased herself down onto the edge of the bed, and then leaned forward to brush a loose wisp of hair from his forehead. She ran the back side of her hand tenderly down his cheek, pausing to caress his parted lips and dimpled chin.

"Hmmm…I need to get injured…more often…to get this much attention," Jeffrey softly murmured. He smiled, and when he finally opened his sleepy blue-green eyes, Jeffrey found himself staring into Meggie’s concerned face.

She shook her head at his wry comment before leaning down to press her soft lips upon his. A small wave of warmth washed through their bodies, encouraging their lips to remain locked in a long, yet gentle kiss. Sitting back up, Meggie carefully traced the outline of his mouth, her hand moving downward to his jaw before finally resting upon his chest.

"Didn’t mean to wake you up. I just finished washing some of your clothes, especially the ones you wore last night when you decided to play Robin Hood with that tree."

He half laughed and groaned over recalling the previous night’s incident. Deciding to sit up, he stopped halfway due to a sudden spasm in his lower back. Meggie frowned, wondering if he had taken the medication Dr. Salvatore had prescribed. During the drive back to the Glen, Jeffrey had repeatedly tried to assure her he really didn’t need the medication, that a little bit of time and some rest would cure everything. But she firmly insisted he would, indeed, take the medication and follow the doctor’s orders.

"Did you take the medicine after we got home, just like Dr. Salvatore instructed?"

"Um," he muttered, closing his eyes as he tried to ignore the radiating pain and lean slowly back against the oak headboard. "Thought I’d wait until later, when I needed them." Another satirical response followed by a crooked smile.

Meggie sighed. Men make such terrible patients, she thought, along with having to endure their display of male bravado. "Well then, I believe it’s time to take your medication, don’t you, Dr. Wigand?" Though she tried to sound serious, she couldn’t resist from smiling. "Here, let me fluff this pillow…there. Now, lie back while I go get your medicine."

"Yes, honey." He chuckled as he watched her leave. Although they had only known each other for a few months, Jeffrey instinctly knew when something troubled her. He knew all too well how easy it was to build walls around one’s soul to prevent more heartache, pain, loneliness, and loss from entering and ravaging the already vulnerable heart and mind. He knew the price of maintaining that emotional barrier: isolation. And lately, something indeed seemed to be haunting his Meggie. Before he could finish his thought, Meggie returned with a glass of water and pills.

"Now then, you have Robaxin to relax and stop those spasms. Two every six hours." She stood beside the bed, dropping the two orange tablets into his open hand. "And here is your water. Swallow, doctor."

Jeffrey complied and after returning the glass to the stand, patted the bed. "Meggie, come here. I need to talk to you." He kept his blue eyes locked on to hers, as if he could magically will her to come to him without resistance and open up. Meggie complied and sat down gently on the bed beside him. Evidently, his "Wigand look," as she liked to call it, still worked.

"Meggie, sweetheart, I know something is bothering you. I’m not sure of the exact source, but I want to help you. Please, can we talk about this?" Please, open up to me. I can’t fight the monsters without knowing what or who they are.

Meggie closed her eyes, a heavy sigh escaping from her mouth. She kept her eyes focused on her clasped hands for a few moments before turning to face him. Oh God, she thought, he thinks I’m having second thoughts about us. If only I had…then I wouldn’t still be dealing with this, this issue. What will he think of me?

She felt his warm fingers stroke her cheek, then his hand gently touch her hair. Meggie slowly looked up, meeting his pleading expression. Later, I’ll tell him later. He doesn’t need to deal with my problems and insecurities right now, not on top of his own problems.

"It’s…the lump."

"Lump? What lump?" He sat up quickly, the tense nerves causing him to wince in pain. Oh God, is she sick? He’d find the best doctors no matter what the cost.

"When I was in the hallway with Dr. Salvatore. I knew you would just dismiss it, but I was worried, so I asked him about it there. He said it was nothing to worry about. Something about blood collecting into a lumpy…."

"Hematoma. It’s a collection of blood outside the blood vessels. The ‘lump’ or bruise is simply a sac of blood that the body produces to help the internal bleeding. In most cases, these sacs dissolve on their own." Jeffrey stopped, studying Meggie’s face carefully. There’s something else, Meggie. Come on angel, tell me. She only stared back, biting her lower lip.

"Well, Dr. Salvatore said for the first 48 hours to use ice then heat for your sprain. I left both packs downstairs. I’ll bring them back upstairs and you can decide which feels better, okay? Be right back."

Quickly, she stood up and headed outside the room. Jeffrey watched, stunned and confused. Think Wigand, think. What am I missing here? There’s something, but I’m not seeing it.

About five minutes later, she returned with two cotton cloth containers: one filled with silicate gel warmed by the microwave; and the other filled with ice cubes.

"Um, how do you want to do this? Maybe lie on your side?"

"Hmm. Yeah, sounds good." Jeffrey rolled onto his right side. Meggie then gently placed the icepack first on his back, sitting down to hold it over the tender spot.

"Too cold? Not enough? I can get more ice. Or try the heat one?"

"No, this is fine. Really, ah, that feels quite good." He cocked his head, eyes meeting Meggie’s and then smiled. I’ll try a different approach, he thought. With his left hand, Jeffrey reached out and took a hold of hers, squeezing it tightly.

"You still have much unpacking to do, Meggie?"

"Yeah. But it’s nothing to worry about. I also want to meet with the Reverend Harris again. He’s such a caring man, and I like for you to meet him sometime, too. We’re going to start a library here in the Glen. He already has several boxes filled with books, and I really need to go through them and see what’s what. Should bring them back here and create a spreadsheet, an index, and all that fun librarian stuff."

"Sounds like a great idea. I have some physics and chemistry books I could donate. If anyone would want to read them. They do wonders for treating insomnia."

She laughed and shifted the ice pack lower on his back. "You never know, we just might have a brilliant scientist in the Glen someday. With all the new babies here, education and schooling will become an important topic soon."

"Meggie love, I was thinking of applying for a position in a nearby college or university. You know, I could teach Science and Japanese. When I taught at the duPont Manual High School in Louisville, the experience was amazing! At first, I was nervous and unsure about it all, but once I stepped inside the classroom and saw those young and hunger-filled eyes, it just hit me! I could really make a difference in their lives. And," he paused, squeezing her hand again, "start a new anti-smoking program here in Australia. I’m not sure about…."

"Jeffrey," she began in a soft voice, "we need to talk about us. Here in the Glen."

He stiffened slightly. Is this what has been bothering her? I moved in to protect and watch over her, but with the bastard dead, is she having second thoughts about us now?

"We never really had a chance to talk about us and a future together. Between a killer lose in the Glen and then you getting hurt, nothing has really been discussed." Meggie again moved the icepack, causing him to suck in air quickly. "Jeffrey, you okay?"

"Yeah. I think the pills are starting to work, along with the ice." Does she still want me? Here, in her world and life?

Meggie let go of his hand to gently touch the cut on his face. "Jeffrey, I want us to work. To be together, here." That is if you still want me, especially when you really get to know me.

Jeffrey sighed in relief. "Meggie, I want nothing more than that very same thing. However, I think we should start over again, you know, take things slowly and not rush into anything." There, maybe that would ease her a bit and not make her feel trapped. Here’s an opening to take if she wants to change her mind about us.

At first she was surprised by his comment. Slowly? Not rush into anything? Meggie pulled her hand back, this time setting the thawing icepack beside her. "Start over? Do you mean…."

He rolled over, the pain becoming gradually less noticeable, however, he began to feel drowsy, his vision blurring, as if a soft silk veil had been draped over his face. Damn, the meds are working. Great. Need to focus, stay awake. He sat up, slowly, and reached over, cupping her small face in his hands.

"Meggie, I mean I want us to work. To be together, living and sharing the struggles and victories that define life. I love you, you do know that, right? I, I shut down after the divorce and when Liane took my two girls away, something simply died inside me. I felt cold, dead, residing in an old and worthless shell called a body. But you sparked a flame of hope in me, from that very moment when we met after the high school anti-smoking program. God, I looked at you and felt this, this, sudden spark."

Tears began forming in her eyes upon listening to Jeffrey’s heartfelt words. He brushed them caringly away with his thumbs while their eyes remained focused on the other.

"I do love you, oh God, I love you so much. That first time, in the school auditorium, I felt this sudden need to just walk up to you and start talking." She stopped, laughing. "I was rather nervous, you do remember? I mean, here am I, just a school librarian, and all I could manage to say to this brilliant, famous, and handsome scientist was, ‘I enjoyed your presentation.’"

Jeffrey laughed, and then closing his eyes, smiled as his mind captured that special moment. "You were slightly nervous. But I believe, my darling, I was more so. I mean here was this attractive young thirty-something wanting to talk to me. You genuinely cared about what I had to say, about the crap I went through. Liane, she just…. " He stopped.

Meggie stiffened at the mention of her name, which Jeffrey immediately noticed. "Meggie? Are you alright?"

"Jeffrey, I’m afraid I’m not like Liane." I’m not sophisticated and experienced as Liane. What if I’m not enough for you? She looked down, staring at the floor. "I don’t come from a wealthy family and upbringing like she did. I…I’m not as sophisticated or glamorous. I’m quite the opposite: quiet, plain, simple."

"You’re right, you’re not like Liane. But not in ways that matter to me. And you’re far from plain, my Meggie. Liane expected the best of everything. Fine living, fine clothes, a very comfortable lifestyle where she had and could do what she wanted without any regrets or worry. I tried to give it all to her, and I did at first. Yes, we had it all. The perfect suburban home, manicured lawns complete with the country club lifestyle she expected. I had my company golf games, and we attended those fancy-schmancy corporate parties."

Slowly, Jeffrey leaned back against the pillows, pulling Meggie into his arms in a tight embrace. "But I want to embark upon a new journey, with you beside me, here in the Glen. I want to let go of the past that constantly clings and darkens every inch of my soul and mind." The smear campaign dossier. Surely she heard about that, I mean, my God, it was everywhere he turned back then. She didn’t believe the spousal abuse accusations by Liane, did she?

"Meggie," he softly whispered into her ear, "I’m not perfect. I have my weaknesses and issues. I drink too damn much when I’m depressed and isolate myself from those around me. I get pissed off when I’m being jerked around. But I never, and I swear, never would hurt you."

"Meggie…need talk about this..tomorrow more… been bothering’ you…lately." A huge wave washed over him, pulling him downward into a dark realm where eternal sleep awaited. No, not know, not yet. he thought.

She felt his hold slowly loosen, could hear the slur in his speech. Looking up, she watched his eyelids close as the pain medication began to work. She set the thawed ice-pack on the nightstand, and then carefully so as not to disturb him, Meggie swung her legs up and snuggled against him. With one hand on his bare chest, Meggie took hold of his left hand and laced her fingers through his.

"I love you," she whispered, kissing him lightly on the lips. "Let tomorrow take care of itself. For tonight, I just want us to be like this." And then she closed her eyes.