Pulled(63)
Author: A.L. Jackson

Her face lit in understanding, and she graced me with a smal , peaceful smile. We breathed easy, that heavy moment leaving us feeling light and free.

“Would you like a glass of wine?” I asked.

“Please.” She nodded.

I kissed her on the corner of her mouth before making my way to the kitchen where I selected a bottle of red wine and dug through the drawer to find an opener.

Melanie sank into the couch. She relaxed against the plush pil ows, her legs drawn up under her.

“So, what do you think of the place?” I gestured around the room, watching closely for her reaction. I knew it was nice by most people’s standards. The kitchen was sleek and modern, sharp lines and high ceilings making a perfect flow into the attached living room. Brown leather couches sat almost intrusively on the beige carpet, situated around the flat screen TV that rested on the entertainment console in the corner. She hadn’t seen the rest of it, only missing the bedroom and a smal office. Immediately, her gaze went to the view of the Chicago lights twinkling through floor to ceiling windows that opened to the balcony.

To me it was the most inviting part of the whole place.

“It’s beautiful.” I didn’t know if she was simply referring to the view or the apartment. Even after all the work Erin and Mom had put into it, I had found it cold and hol ow. But with Melanie on my couch, it suddenly felt warm.

A place I would look forward to coming home to at the end of the day because she’d be here, waiting for me. Her eyes still focused outside, and her brow furrowed as she continued to think. She turned back to face me expectantly as if I should know what she was thinking. I had no clue.

“I’m thinking you’re going to need to move.” I should have expected that. This place was nothing like the little house I’d bought for us. It had been perfect for her, for us, but that was when we were going to have a family, and I wasn’t sure if she still wanted something like that.

“That’s fine. We’ll move wherever you want.” I grabbed two glasses on my way back, settled in beside her, and placed them on the coffee table. I took a moment to pour us each a glass. I handed Melanie hers before taking my own, mirroring her pose with my elbow perched against the back of the couch and one leg tucked up under me, our knees overlapping.

“Maybe a little house out by my parents?” If I knew Melanie, she’d want to be near them. I couldn’t contain the excitement I felt at that thought, Melanie and my family. I could hardly wait for them to be together again, but I would need to give that some time. Sneaking around was proving hard enough, let alone adding my family to the mix.

“Not for me, Daniel. I would be perfectly happy here just because I’m with you.” She shifted, lifting her head from her hand so she could reach out to touch me. She brushed her fingertips along the top of my knuckles. “I meant you’re going to need a different place for your son.” My son. Who could imagine two words could sting so much? My son. Not our son, but Daniel’s son, Vanessa’s son. Would I ever be able to think of him and not feel sick?

The worst part was that Melanie was the one making me of aware of my responsibility to him. Moving had never even crossed my mind, but as I looked around my apartment, I couldn’t imagine a child being here.

Really, though, could I see that child anywhere? In any aspect of my life? Not at alll. And that terrified me.

“Willyou help me?” I pleaded, my words filled with desperation. It was clear I was asking a lot more of her than help finding an acceptable place for us to live. I hated putting so much pressure on her, the responsibility I was asking her to take on, passing my mistake on to her. She’d promised that whatever came our way, we’d deal with together, but this was different; I wasn’t just asking her to tolerate it, I was asking her to be a part of it.

Her muscles tensed slightly. If I hadn’t been watching her so closely, I would have missed it. The sorrow that invaded her passed just as quickly as it had come.

When it was gone, an expression of determination took its place. “I’ll be here for you.”

“You are the most remarkable person. Do you know that?” I didn’t wait for an answer, knowing she was likely to disagree. I lightly brushed my lips against hers and silently thanked her for being an amazing woman.

She rewarded me by unfolding her gorgeous legs from beneath her and leaning against me. I reclined against the arm of the couch and stretched out my legs as she settled between them. I pulled her back to my chest, and we lounged on my couch.

It was perfect, her hair bunched up over my shoulder, her fingertips playing along my pant leg, her body draped over mine as we shared the bottle of wine. I mindlessly twisted a lock of her hair around my finger, the curl eternal as I wound it round and round.

She glanced back at me; her eyes alight with joy.

“I’m so proud of you, Daniel. I always knew you were going to be an amazing doctor.”

I squeezed her hip, kissing the top of her head.

“It’s Dad who made it all happen. I’m just glad he asked me to be a part of it.”

“What’s it like having all of these sick people come to you? I mean is it what you thought it would be?”

“Hm…I don’t know. Sometimes I love it;

sometimes I hate it. There’s so much pressure. It can be very sad and very rewarding all in the same day.” She nodded, her head rubbing against the thin fabric of my shirt. “I can only imagine.” We continued to drink and laugh as she asked me questions about my job, what school had been like, and the things I’d done with my family over the years. She giggled as I told her of all the mistakes I’d made along the way and the crazy things I’d experienced on my ER rotation in New York City. So much had seemed insignificant through the haze of nothing I’d lived. Now, with my girl in my arms, her body shaking as she laughed, I could almost see what life would have been like had she been there. As she experienced my life through the stories I told, it felt as if I was experiencing it for the first time myself.

By the time she’d told me about the important events in her life over the last nine years, the bottle was polished off, and we were both totally at ease. We grinned from ear to ear, neither attempting to hide our bliss.

Melanie suddenly rol ed, bringing us chest to chest, her lips on mine. The movement rekindled the fire that had been smoldering the entire night. Her mouth was hot and wet, and a little sloppy. Her hands pressed firmly into my shoulders as she held herself over me. She straddled my legs, the energy consuming, forceful, pushing us together. My fingers dove into her hair, and I kissed her hard. Her fingers fumbled with the buttons of my shirt, unwil ing to break our frantic kiss.