(sorry, 'seems like this episode inspired me!)
by
Anakin
(anakin_skywallkr@hotmail.com)
“Oh no, no… We can’t have any of that, can we… Put your arm on my shoulder… There we go… There we go!… Don’t you worry Miss Fine, I’ve got you…”
“Boy do you ever…!”
He carried her upstairs to her room, and gently laid her on her bed. His heart melted at the look on her face. She seemed like a lost puppy. He smiled and gently kissed her brow, stroking her cheek with his thumb.
“Go to bed now. I’ll take care of everything with the children tomorrow. There’s no need for you to stress that sprain ankle any more right?… Sleep tight Miss Fine.”
He exited.
Fran sighed. She rolled on her side and limped to her bathroom.
After freshening up a little, she sat back on her bed and took her clothes off before putting on her night gown. She lied in bed and switched the light off.
She wanted to clear her mind, to forget about everything…
Why?… What a fool she had been!… Leave Mr. Sheffield?… For the arms of his very own brother?!… She liked Nigel, she really did, but he was nothing compared to his gray-streaked brother… They was so much more than a physical attraction between them, Maxwell Sheffield understood her better than any other person, even her own mother. He knew how to say the right things to make her day sunny when it had started with heavy clouds, and his smile… She just loved the fine lines at the corner of his eyes when he smiled, it made his look so soft and caring… But she also knew she couldn’t go on like this, she had to make a decision. If he would not, then she had to. She knew what she had to do, but she couldn’t resolve to do that… She just couldn’t… Or even if she could, events such as what happened this evening occurred and prevented her from doing what she had planned… Heck!…
Tears ran freely down her cheeks. Those tears were a true salvation, an escape from all the fears, all the doubts,… so she let them run…
He had gone downstairs to fetch something he had forgotten in his coat. While he was on his way to his room, he passed before Miss Fine’s door, and heard muffled sounds… As if someone was crying… He knocked softly, but heard no answer. Afraid she might be in pain because of her sprain ankle, he pushed the door open.
There she was, lying in the dark, her back to him, crying softly. His heart leaped. He hated seeing her in pain. He sat down on the other side of the bed, and touched her shoulder gently. She hadn’t heard him come, so she was a bit startled.
“Miss Fine?… Don’t worry, it’s only me…”
“Mr. Sheffield?… What are you doing here?”
“I heard you cry, and I was worried…”
She sniffed.
“I’m fine thanks…”
“No you’re not… it’s the second time I see you crying this evening, and I’m worried about you.”
“I assure you Mr. Sheffield, I’m fine… It’s because of my ankle…”
“Let me see if it’s more swollen…”
“No…”
“Miss Fine…”
“Look Mr. Sheffield, I’m tired, I had a hard time today, and I need to rest…”
He was really concerned about her. It came naturally…
“I’ll go change and sleep in your room tonight… huh… I mean in the armchair… I’m worried about that ankle, and I want to be there if you feel any worse…”
“Thank you Mr. Sheffield, but that won’t be necessary…”
“No ‘but’”, he interrupted her. “I’ll sleep in that armchair and that’s final. I’ll be back in a minute…”
He exited.
“Why does he have to make the things so much more complicated!” She thought with rage. But she had little time to be more enraged as he stepped into her room in a comfy robe, his pajamas and slippers. He went to sit on the edge of the bed next to her and stroked her brow, pushing aside a lock of her hair gently. She stilled his hand with hers. For a moment, they stared at each other in the semi darkness.
“Why are you doing this?”
“Doing what?” He asked.
“Being so kind to me all of a sudden…”
“Because I care for you… And it’s not all of a sudden…”
“Mr. Sheffield… I didn’t hurt my ankle because I went clubbing with Val… I hurt my ankle while I was leaving you to get married to your brother Nigel, and I missed the boat…”
Silence.
He had a knot in his stomach. He swallowed hard, sighed deeply, and took her hand in his two.
“Strange as it may appear to you, I understand… I don’t like it the least bit, but I do understand why you wanted to do that…”
For once, she was speechless.
“Miss Fine… Fran… I’m not sure my words will be of any comfort, but I have been thinking about us many times lately… About Paris, about all the things we did together, how I enjoyed very much being with you, and how I hurt you so many times… I have no excuses to say to you… And that’s why I understand you wanted to go with Nigel…” He took a deep breath. “I would also understand if, after that, you still wanted to leave…” He stopped and waited for her answer, a terrible fear rising in his heart. Fear that she would say she was leaving, fear that he would never see her again in his life, fear that the only good thing that had occurred in his life since Sara’ death would run away from him… He suddenly realized he wanted to hug her and to never let her go, but he had no right to do that… So he waited…
She kept silent a few minutes, then sighed.
“Don’t you see that I can’t?… Don’t you see that every time I want to leave, something pulls me back?… Don’t you see that marrying your brother was another way for me to make you realize, to make you say it?… Don’t you see that… Did you never wonder why I was staying despite all the times you hurt me, as you put it?…” She felt anger rising in her core. “Can’t you see that if I didn’t care so much for you and the children, I’d have left after your first outburst at me?!… Can’t you see that…” She calmed suddenly. “That… I …”
“… Love you…” He completed softly.
There was a deep silence, then suddenly, he hugged her fiercely; his lips seeking hers urgently, finding them, and giving her a passionate kiss. He tried to put everything he wanted to tell her in this kiss, but even the intensity of it couldn’t express it all. He broke the kiss and she nestled her chin in the hollow at the base of his neck.
“I love you Fran.”
She smiled in the dark, tears of happiness running free down her cheeks. He felt his neck wet, looked at her, and wiped her tears with his thumbs.
“Now what have I done… I made you cry three times today…” he said tenderly, kissing her lightly.
She chuckled between her tears.
“I’d rather you make me cry because you say you love me than because you want to fire me…! … Oh Mr. Sheffield…! ”
“Maxwell’s the name…”
“Yes Ma… Max… ”
“See?… It was not that difficult?…” He hugged her again, rocking her gently.
“I love you…” She whispered in his ear.
They remained like this for a few minutes, silently enjoying the moment, as realization of what had just happened slowly crept into their minds.
“Do you really want to sleep on that armchair?… It’s not very comfortable you know…” she said after a moment.
He chuckled softly.
“Fran, much as I want to make love to you, I don’t think you’re in the right condition to do that now…”
“You know, a sprain ankle is no big deal… Anyway, I was not talking about that… I’m not an easy girl you know!… I just thought you could sleep next to me… If you really want to sleep in that room…”
He smiled in the dark and gently kissed her nose.
“I’ll sleep in the same room as you do tonight, and I hope that will be the case every night from now on…”
He quickly removed his robe and entered the bed. She snuggled next to him, needing the proximity of his body. He encircled her shoulders with his arms and they drifted with sleep. Content with their lives, and a little more reassured about their future together...
***
Nigel was looking to the beautiful diamond ring absentmindedly. He sighed deeply, bending his head, closed the small purple velvet box, then put it back in his pocket. He looked at the lights of New York, quickly disappearing in the distance, a hand on the railing. “You take care of her Max…” He murmured softly before leaving the deck and going back to his cabin…
The End
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