Aereopagitica: Wednesday morning [12/6]

[lovelylana.livejournal.com]

Lana got in to work on time. She'd taken a rickshaw in, because though Jim had been reluctantly willing to let her go to work, he refused to let her walk. She was looking particularly thoughtful this morning.

Comments

[sensitivejim.livejournal.com]

Jim came in a while later, hiding a yawn behind his hand as he came bearing breakfast. He still hadn't slept more than a few minutes at a time. He delivered her tea and selection of yummy breakfast-type baked goods with a dopey smile.

[lovelylana.livejournal.com]

Lana smiled at him. "You are the greatest guy," she said. She sipped the tea and picked a particularly delicious looking pastry to nibble on.

"You need to sleep, though," she said seriously. "You're starting to worry me."

[sensitivejim.livejournal.com]

Jim shook his head, taking a gulp of coffee. "I'm fine. Have coffee, will function."

[lovelylana.livejournal.com]

Lana went over and wrapped her arms around him. "I don't want you to make yourself sick."

She held on to him for a few minutes. "Oh, that reminds me. Dr. Wilson called me yesterday and asked me to stop by today. I guess he wants to check on my concussion."

[sensitivejim.livejournal.com]

Jim thought he managed to keep most of the 'eep' off his face as he wrapped his arms around her in turn. "I'm not going to get sick, stop worrying. You're going to go see him?"

[lovelylana.livejournal.com]

Lana nodded. "After my class. I know, I know, it means coming back into town, but I'll do the rickshaw thing, I promise. And then you can keep me in bed till my afternoon class tomorrow."

[sensitivejim.livejournal.com]

"Hey," Jim complained teasingly, "stop making me out to be the big bad boyfriend who chains you to the bed."

[lovelylana.livejournal.com]

Lana looked up at him seductively from under her eyelashes. "You don't want to chain me to the bed? Am I doing something wrong?"

[sensitivejim.livejournal.com]

Jim groaned. "You know what I meant."

[lovelylana.livejournal.com]

She giggled and hugged him again. "You're a wonderful boyfriend and you take wonderfully good care of me. And I know you're still worried that I'm not well enough to be out and I appreciate that despite that you're making sure I get where I need to go."

[sensitivejim.livejournal.com]

"If I'd've taken better care of you, you wouldn't be like this now," Jim muttered, hugging her back.

[lovelylana.livejournal.com]

Lana took a step back and looked up at him. "There's no way you could have known. Phoebe and I go out to Selkie Cove all the time and we've never had a problem before."

[sensitivejim.livejournal.com]

Jim sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "Sorry."

[lovelylana.livejournal.com]

Lana hugged him again. "It's okay. I understand."

She tugged him over behind the counter. "Why don't you sit down here with me and share my breakfast that some wonderful person brought me?"

[sensitivejim.livejournal.com]

Jim followed her, smiling. "As long as I don't end up eating it all." He looked down, adding quickly, "Sorry, I didn't mean . . . sorry."

[lovelylana.livejournal.com]

"It's okay," Lana said again, but she didn't really feel like eating anymore.

She knew he was worried, though and two days without food over the weekend certainly hadn't helped any, so she put a smile on and made herself continue nibbling on the pastry she'd selected.

[sensitivejim.livejournal.com]

Jim kept his eyes down as he drank his coffee, knowing that he had screwed up again.

[lovelylana.livejournal.com]

It was a quiet morning, so Lana took advantage of the quiet to lean against Jim and relax while she nibbled on her pastry.

"This is nice," she said quietly. "I like having you here."

[sensitivejim.livejournal.com]

Jim smiled, wrapping an arm loosely around her waist. "Distracting you from your work?"

[lovelylana.livejournal.com]

"Mmm..." she said happily. "Distract away."

[sensitivejim.livejournal.com]

Jim bent his head to kiss her and then paused. "You sure you won't get in trouble?"

[lovelylana.livejournal.com]

"As long as there are no customers, I should be fine," she said, stretching up. "All my other stuff I finished before you got here."

[sensitivejim.livejournal.com]

Well, if she insisted . . .

Jim cupped Lana's cheek gently with one hand as he kissed her, lovingly.

[lovelylana.livejournal.com]

Lana leaned into the kiss, wrapping her arms around him again. "I've missed this," she murmured.

[sensitivejim.livejournal.com]

"This?" Jim asked, brushing his fingers through her hair.

[lovelylana.livejournal.com]

"Kissing you," she replied. "Really kissing you. Having your hands on me..."

[sensitivejim.livejournal.com]

"We haven't been doing this for the last week?" Jim teased with a smile, still playing with her hair.

[lovelylana.livejournal.com]

"You've been so careful of me since Sunday," Lana said quietly. "Which I love, but you haven't really kissed me."

"I understand why," she said quickly, "and you're right. I've been hurting and kind of... fragile, but I miss it."

[sensitivejim.livejournal.com]

"Oh." Jim blinked. He hadn't realised that he had been that careful of her. He swallowed. "Sorry?"

[lovelylana.livejournal.com]

"It's okay," she said. "But like, in the bath yesterday? I so wanted to be able to fool around, but I knew we couldn't. And I miss that. I miss making love to you."

[sensitivejim.livejournal.com]

Jim's ears went red and he glanced around as if customers might sudden appear. "I - I do too," he said softly. "But I'm happy just holding you. I don't need anything more. Really."

[lovelylana.livejournal.com]

"Oh," Lana said, looking a little disappointed. "I guess it's just me then. Well, not need, but want. It's been, well, six days almost. And I love being held by you. I feel so safe and loved. But... I..."

She shook her head. "Never mind. It's okay."

[sensitivejim.livejournal.com]

"I - I didn't mean it that way," Jim gulped. "I just mean . . . you don't have to feel rushed or anything . . . I'm just digging my own grave now, aren't I?"

[lovelylana.livejournal.com]

She shook her head. "No. I think you're wonderful. And I don't feel rushed and I know we can't rush, not if we want it to be good and not end up with me miserable with pain, but... I..."

She sighed, then smiled up at him. "Let's just leave it as, I'm glad we can really kiss now, even if we can't do a lot else, okay?"

[sensitivejim.livejournal.com]

Jim smiled back. "Okay."

[lovelylana.livejournal.com]

She rested her head against him again and went back to nibbling at her pastry. She was going to eat the whole thing if it killed her.

[sensitivejim.livejournal.com]

And Jim very assiduously didn't notice. He drank his coffee and ate everything else and just enjoyed having her leaning against him.