| As the pain in her head throbbed, bringing her close to tears, Shelby realized it may have been a mistake to leave the hospital, but she wasn�t about to let Brian know. The simplest act, like slipping on her shirt or putting on her shoes set off a pounding as if someone was using her head as a drum. She held back her moans and stiffened her body against each one and it wasn�t until she was finally lying in bed again that the pain began to subside. She slept a good part of the afternoon and Brian checked on her periodically. He could see the pain she was in, even though Shelby thought otherwise. As much as he hated being in the hospital, she really should have stayed overnight again, but she had practically leaped out of the bed demanding to be released. So, here she was in his apartment much to her chagrin, but Brian wouldn�t let her go home alone. He had caused her to get hurt and he felt responsible. Plus this would give him, give them, an opportunity to talk. Brian�s culinary skills were limited. Having spent so many months on the road, he rarely cooked and when he did, it was mostly breakfast. He had mastered the fine art of a good omelet, or scrabbled eggs, but that was about it. So he placed the white cartons on the tray with two plates and was about to start up the stairs when a loud thud came from the guest room. He bounded the stairs two at a time and came rushing into the bedroom to find Shelby sitting on the floor with the contents of her overnight bag all over the floor. "For God�s sake Shelby, what are you doing?" He came to her and gently lifted her into his arms and put her back in the bed. Her brow was furrowed as the pain in her head pulsed and she curled on her side waiting for it to subside. Brian picked up the clothes on the floor and placed them at the foot of the bed and sat down next to her. He brushed the hair from her face. "Do you want something for the pain?" "I just took something." She whispered. "Look Shelby, you have to stay in bed. That�s the only reason you were discharged. Now what was in that bag that couldn�t wait?" He sounded like a parent scolding a child and she felt so foolish. "I wanted a brush for my hair." She looked at him sheepishly as she tried to sit up. She winced and Brian took the pillows and wedged them behind her head so she could recline back. There was only a small patch on her forehead now from where she hit her head, the heavier bandages having been removed before she left the hospital. And he noticed that some of her hair was caught under the adhesive. He went and retrieved the brush from her bag and handed it to her. "Thank you." Shelby slowly ran the brush through her hair, careful not to apply too much pressure. Brian watched her and she could feel his eyes on her and refused to look at him. When she tried to sit up and brush the back of her head, she let out a moan. "Come here." Brian gently brought her forward, letting her head rest on his shoulder as he carefully brushed her hair. When he finished he eased her back and took her face in his hands. Her eyes were glassy, and a tear fell on her cheek. He brushed it with his thumb. "I�m so sorry, Shel. I never meant to hurt you." "It�s okay. I�m okay, really. It wasn�t your fault." They gazed at each other and Shelby could feel the tug at her heart. She couldn�t run this time and even if she could, she didn�t want to. She sucked in her breath and wet her dry lips. Brian glanced from her eyes to her mouth and back again. And with the timidness of new lovers their lips joined. Brian gently leaned her back on the pillows as he deepened the kiss. Shelby moaned as his tongue sought out hers. When he broke the kiss Shelby ran her hand along his cheek. "I love you." Tears welled in her eyes. "I�ve loved you for so long." "Shh," Brian soothed her. "I love you too, Shelby." He leaned in to kiss her again but Shelby turned away. "Oh Brian, I can�t do this." She went to move, but Brian held her to the spot. "Please let me go. I can�t stay here." "You don�t believe me, do you?" "I want to, but�" "Laurie?" Shelby nodded, as she lay back against the pillows, the nagging ache in her head sapping her strength. "I had hoped to wait, give you a day or two to feel better, but I guess that�s not going to happen." He ran his hands through his hair. Where to begin? Shelby could see the confusion on his face, but she had to hear this. Whether or not they ever got together, she had to know the truth. ~*~*~*~*~*~*~ Their dinner was forgotten. Shelby waited patiently as Brian tried to find the words to explain his actions. Part of her felt sorry for him. The fact that he loved her now should be enough. Shouldn�t it? So why put him through this? Because she just couldn�t believe that all those times he and Laurie�he�s not that good of an actor. She had to know. No matter how hard it was for him, it was the only way for her to go on. The minutes slipped by and Shelby closed her eyes as the pain medication started to work and the ache in her head began to ease. All the time that had been wasted. Why did she feel compelled to keep her feelings hidden? Why did he? Foolish, both of them. And now if he had any hope of holding on to Shelby, he was going to have to be convincing. Her face was serene, as Shelby lay against the pillows. God, she was pretty. There were no pretenses with her, even in her beauty. It was all natural. Brian took her hand and she opened her eyes. She let her hand lay limp in his, a sign that she wasn�t giving in to her feelings yet. "I don�t know what to say, except that maybe I should have been more aggressive in my pursuit of you. Not given up when you showed no interest. But your continual refusal was a bit daunting. I couldn�t just wow you with my good looks and sense of humor." He joked and watched as she laughed at him. "Little did you know, that it was your looks and sense of humor that caught my attention from the beginning." He raised his eyebrows at her comment. "Is that so?" "Yes, but it eventually grew beyond that." Shelby gave him a sheepish look. "And as I got to know you better my feelings got stronger and stronger, but I just couldn�t let on. I was an employee. I didn�t want to complicate matters." "But it did get very complicated. I wound up with Laurie and you ran away all because neither one of us would admit the truth." "Well even if I had wanted to say something Laurie was already in the picture. And you didn�t look like you were suffering too much." Her tone was angry now. He was not going to make it her fault. "Whoa, wait a minute here. Remember when you got the flu?" Shelby nodded. "And it developed into bronchial pneumonia?" "Yes. I spent a few days in the hospital and when I woke AJ was sitting there holding my hand. So?" She looked down to notice Brian rubbing her hand with his thumb. "Yeah he was, but," he paused remembering back to how worried he had been, "I was the one that sat with you all night." |