All I Need Is You

The car pulled up beside the single story property nestling between the trees and the lake. Bronwyn cut the engine and smiled. Ceri had chosen wisely, it was just what she and Ed needed. Looking over to the passenger seat she patted Ed on the thigh, leaned across, and kissed his cheek. "We’re home, sweetheart."

Ed looked up slowly and gazed out at the shiny new house. A hint of a smile crossed his lips. "It’s beautiful, baby…no steps, good thinking."

Bronwyn unclipped her seatbelt and got out of the car, walked round to the passenger side and opened the door. She reached down to unbuckle Ed’s belt and found herself in his warm embrace. "Thank you for looking after me, Bron. I don’t know what I’d have done without you."

Returning his kiss, she managed to get him free of the seatbelt and eased his legs round and out of the car. Reaching into the back, she retrieved two sticks. "Do you need these, Ed?"

She noticed a twinkle in his eye, and her heart leapt, he must be feeling better. "I don’t need them as long as I have you, darlin’." Helping her as much as he could, he was soon standing, leaning heavily on the car door. "Couldn’t you park any closer?" he teased, seeing that there was only about two feet between the car and the low porch which ran all around the property.

"Hey cheeky, I could always drive around the back and go through the patio doors."

"No need, I’m sure the walk will do me good," Ed laughed in reply. Truth be told, he wasn’t too sure if he could even make the few steps to the front door, but the fresh Aussie air seemed to be reviving his spirits, and he wanted to show Bronwyn that he was getting better. He looked over at her as she unlocked and opened the front door, remembering how they had met.

*

Like the old fool he could sometimes be, he’d decided to leave the safety of his desk and computer, and go out in the field. One of his young agents was in over his head, and Ed felt he was the only one able to get him out of the mess he was in. The rescue attempt had ended in a hail of bullets, the young agent safe, but Ed with bullets wedged in his thigh, hip and shoulder. They’d managed to get him into the chopper and to safety, but his wounds were severe and he would be a long time healing.

When he was stable, they had flown him home and installed him in the Georgetown University Hospital in DC for a long recuperation. Bronwyn just happened to be in the same hospital, not as a patient though. She was a renowned artist, and had been commissioned to paint murals in various public areas, including the waiting area of the physical therapy unit. That’s where Ed first caught site of her. She had a paintbrush stuck behind one ear, another in her mouth, and a third poised in her left hand ready to add a dash of colour here and there.

Even though he was in pain for the workout they’d just inflicted on him, he couldn’t help but smile at the spot of green paint on the end of her nose, and called out gently to her.

"Ah, miss…has anyone told you how delightful you look in your war paint?"

Bronwyn turned quickly to see a handsome middle-aged man in a wheelchair, pain etched on his face, but a twinkle in his eye. "I’m sorry?"

"You seem to be testing the colour on your nose rather than on the wall."

She swiped at her nose with the back of her hand, making the smudge worse than it was. Ed managed a weak giggle.

"If you wouldn’t mind stepping a bit closer, I’m not too mobile right now."

Bronwyn walked towards the man and handed him a tissue. He dipped it in the beaker of water he was holding and as she bent towards him, he gently wiped the paint away, revealing the cutest freckles he’d ever seen.

Right then, the orderly arrived to take him back to his room and he raised a hand in farewell. Bronwyn was taken by the gentle man and was determined to find out more about him, and over the next few weeks, they became friends, with Bronwyn spending her breaks with Ed, and even joining him for his therapy sessions to offer moral support.

By the time he was fit enough to leave the hospital, they had fallen in love and nothing could keep them apart. Ed would never call her Bronwyn, liking Bron or Bronnie better, and was constantly teasing her about her ‘Limey’ accent. Bron teased back telling Ed that her accent was Welsh, and he sounded like a ‘good ole country boy’. They were like chalk and cheese, but the combination worked for them.

When Ed was forced to take medical retirement from the agency, he was mortified, but Bron was there by his side, trying to ease his pain. She watched him sink deeper and deeper into despair until she got a call from her sister asking her to move to a new community in Australia. Ceri and three distant cousins has been left a heap of property in New South Wales, and they were inviting friends to come and stay. Bron told Ceri all about Ed, and she said she would make sure there was a house ready for their arrival which would be easy for Ed to negotiate.

*

So here they were, standing in front of their new home down under. Ed felt this was going to work just fine, the start of a new life with the woman his loved. He wrapped his arm round Bron’s shoulder and smiled as she placed hers around his waist. She led him slowly through the door into their new home.