ALWAYS FAITHFUL (8 page)

N
ic followed Claire inside and grinned as Grace smiled at her over her mom’s shoulder.

“Hey, cutie. How have you been?” She grabbed the youngster’s outstretched hand and shook it. Grace smiled back at Nic giggling as she shyly put her head down on her mothers shoulder, still looking cutely at the woman who was commanding her attention.

Stopping in the entryway, Claire looked back at Nic, her face flushed and her eyes wide. “Excuse me, Nic, what did you say?” she asked.

“What? I… well I was… wait, did you think I was talking to you just now?”

“Well, weren’t you?”

“Actually, I was talking to Grace, not that you’re not a beautiful woman. Please don’t get me wrong, I mean ….” Nic knew she was digging herself deeper but she just stood there, tongue tied, before stumbling in again. “I mean you’re beautiful and all but I wouldn’t call you ‘cutie,’ I mean, I would describe you as stunning, and breathtaking … I mean if I was a guy I would definitely call you those things.” She gave a half smile and turned her attentions to Grace, hoping that it would change the subject.

“Isn’t that right, cutie?” she said, hoping to reinforce her earlier statement by directing it at Grace once more. “You’re the little cutie aren’t you?”

Claire stood still as the complements from Nic rolled around in her brain. It had been a long time since anyone had called her beautiful, stunning or breathtaking and she felt a slight tingle develop in the pit if her stomach. Trying to shake off the sensation, she looked at Grace, who was eating up the attention, too. It had been a long time since anyone had taken an interest in the two of them. Even when Mike was home, he wasn’t really
home
. Well, that part of her life was over now and she could start to think about how she really wanted to live her life. At least, she could after Mike’s burial.

Turning back toward the living room, she put Grace on the couch and turned toward Nic. She noticed how beautiful her face was when she smiled. It had a softness that surprised Claire, probably because she only saw her when she was in her military persona. But yesterday she had also seen a different side of Nic, one that she never expected to see, either. Both sides were comforting and… she realized she was searching for a word to describe a feeling she hadn’t experienced before. Trying to regain her equilibrium, she focused on reality.

“So Nic, is there any news about Mike yet?” she asked.

“No, I’m sorry there isn’t. I called my sergeant just before I got here and he said there isn’t any news from Germany or Iraq.”

“Well, I am a little surprised to see you here then.”

“I was on my way home and I thought I would check in to see if you needed anything,” she said as she played with Grace and looked at Claire. She had noticed Claire staring at her. Claire’s gaze flowing over Nic’s body, causing a rush of energy to run through her. She liked being around Claire. It made her feel something she hadn’t in a while. She tried to tell herself she was just being protective and supportive, or perhaps she felt sorry for Claire.

“Well, since you’re here would you like to stay for dinner? We have plenty of food, remember?” Going into the kitchen, Claire peered around the corner at Nic, hoping she would say yes. “Besides, you would be doing me a favor if you kept Grace company while I made us all something to eat. What do you say? ” She asked hoping that Nic would stay and spend time with Grace.
For Grace’s sake of course
, she told herself.

“Well, since you put it that way, I can’t seem to deny this little cutie anything, can I? Is there anything I can do to help?” asked Nic, as she played with Grace on the living room floor. She found herself crawling on all fours chasing the youngster around the couch as Grace squealed in delight. She stopped behind the couch and waited for Grace to come running around the other side of the furniture, ready to pounce on her the minute she made the corner. She sat there waiting, but instead felt Grace pounce on her from behind abruptly. She jerked in response to having her scar touched and then quickly rolled to her back, pulling the little girl in front of her. She protected her back and took a deep breath to adjust to the sharp pain that had taken her by surprise. At that moment, Claire came around the corner of the kitchen and saw Grace jumping on Nic’s back and the brief look of pain that crossed her face.

Nic recovered quickly, but Claire knew that it had to be painful for her to have reacted that way. Quickly Claire scooped Grace up from Nic’s grasp and knelt down to see if the Major was all right.

“Nic, are you all right?” she asked, hoping that Grace hadn’t done any permanent damage to the healing scar. “I’m so, so sorry.” Grace started to cry at suddenly being jerked from Nic’s grasp, clearly wondering what she had done wrong. The worried look on Claire’s face took Nic by surprise, but not nearly as much as having Grace grabbed from her.

“I’m sorry Claire. Are you mad that I was rough housing with Grace?”

“What, are you crazy? She jumped on your injury and could have made it worse. Why don’t you get up and let me look at it. Besides, it was cute the way you two were playing just a minute ago. She hasn’t had someone do that with her in a long time.” Claire sat down next to Nic and motioned for the other woman to sit up so she could look at the scar.

“Look, I’m fine, really. It was just a little shock to the system that’s all. Right Grace?” she said, trying to comfort Grace, who was still crying with her lower lip sticking out. “It’s okay really, see,” she said, making a silly face.

“No, Nic. I want to check your back, and now. I will not take no for an answer, period.”

“If I take the bandage off, it won’t be covered and I need to cover it to keep my shirt from sticking to it.”

“No problem. I am sure I have plenty of gauze and bandages here to cover your scar. So, just march yourself into that bathroom and get undressed so I can take a look at it. Now!” she said rather sternly to Nic, pointing in the direction of the bathroom. “Go.”

Nic just shook her head and acquiesced, figuring it was better than putting up a fight.

N
ic shifted her balance and shuffled her feet, pulling the towel tighter against her chest. She was going to do something she had yet to do with anyone. She was going to let someone actually see her scar. She felt like she was opening her soul to Claire just by letting her see it. Claire sat down on the toilet behind her feeling her anxiety building.

“Ready?”

Nic felt Claire reach up and put her hand on the top of the bandage waiting for her to answer.

“As ready as I’m ever gonna be.”

“I’ll try and be careful, Nic.”

“I know you will.”

Nic felt Claire caress her back reassuringly, touching the bandage around its edges. Nic didn’t let her guard down easily, but here she was, sitting on Claire’s tub, opening herself to Claire and letting her see something so personal. Something no one, besides hospital staff, had been allowed to see.

Nic took in a deep breath. “You might want to go slow when you take off the tape. It’s pretty sticky.”

“Okay I’m going to start at the top and pull it down slowly. Ready?” Claire said, giving Nic a chance to prepare her mind and body for what was to come. Claire placed one hand on the right side of Nic’s back bracing herself to pull the bandage off. She couldn’t help but notice the softness of Nic’s skin as she placed the palm of her hand on Nic’s back. Her fingers wrapped around her slender rib cage, accidentally touching the side of Nic’s breast. A surge of heat rushed through her body as she realized where her fingers were.

“Oh, sorry about that,” Claire murmured as she moved her hand back towards the center of Nic’s back.

Nic felt her body react to Claire’s touch. Feeling Claire’s fingers graze the side of her breast caused her nipples to harden immediately.
Oh God, I don’t know if I can do this,
she thought, as the touch of Claire’s hand on her back made her heart beat faster.

“That’s okay.”

“Ok, here goes.” Slowly, Claire pulled down the bandage over the burn. She felt Nic’s back tighten as she finally pulled the last of the bandage off the bare back. Looking at the scar, it was clear that she had needed a skin graft to cover the long narrow burn. The edges were red and taunt while the inner portion of the skin graft seem to be fine. Claire gently ran her fingers over the edges of the scar, careful not to touch the actual scar itself. She could feel Nic shiver in response to her touch.

“I’m sorry. Am I hurting you?”

“No, not at all. It’s just a little cold in here,” Nic lied. Claire’s touch was sending chills through her body that she couldn’t control. It was all she could do not to lean into the soft hands that were touching her. Feeling Claire’s warm breath on her back, she wondered what it would be like to feel her hands on other places, caressing her, touching her, making love to her.
God, what am I thinking. This woman just touches me and suddenly I’m thinking about making love to her. This is not good.
She was still thinking about Claire’s touch when she heard her saying something.

“I am sorry. What did you say?”

“Well it looks okay, Nic, but I think maybe you should let it air out a little to help the healing.”

“I usually do that at night when I go to bed. I sleep without a shirt on so that it airs out.” She turned around so Claire couldn’t see the heat rising in her face. The information was too personal, too intimate. She stiffened and half-hoped that Claire would move away from her.

Claire sensed that Nic was embarrassed but she figured it was because she was sitting naked from the waist up in front of someone she barely knew.

“Did it hurt when they did the graft?” Claire couldn’t help but stare at the healing injury.

“Not too bad. The place where they took the skin hurt worse.”

The burn was almost healed. It wasn’t as bad as she had thought it would be. Claire knew that the real injury was the one to Nic’s soul and she wondered how long it would take to fix that pain.

Suddenly Grace walked into the bathroom, catching both women by surprise. Claire reached down and scooped up Grace turning her away from Nic.

“Grace, honey, why don’t I get you a cookie and you can watch your favorite show on TV.” TV was a treat for Grace, and Claire knew it would give her the time she needed to reapply a bandage to Nic’s back.

“Okay” said the jubilant child as she jumped down from her mother’s arms and raced to the sofa.

“It’s okay, Nic. She is used to seeing me naked,” Claire said as she wiped her hands off.

The statement made Nic’s heart race as she thought about seeing Claire naked.

“Let me get Grace settled and then we can get your back bandaged up. Okay?”

“No problem. I’m not going anywhere.”

When Claire left the bathroom, Nic rested her elbows on her knees and ran her hands through her hair. Here she was, sitting in a woman’s bathroom that she barely knew, naked from the waist up and daydreaming about Claire touching her. She was starting to feel like she was on emotional overload with Claire seeing her scar, touching her body and making her feel…
what… just what is Claire making me feel?
Nic knew the answer to the question, and it wasn’t one she wanted to explore right now. She would think about it later, when she was alone and more in control of her emotions. Right now, she needed to get a bandage on her back and put a shirt on so she didn’t feel so exposed and vulnerable.

Claire walked into the bathroom and stopped in the doorway to admire Nic’s strong, stoic pose. She was bent over, running her hands through her hair. She wondered what she was thinking about. Looking at Nic, she noticed the side of an exposed breast and felt a tingle run through her body.
Oh, this is not good she thought. My husband has just died, they can’t find his body and I am sitting here getting all worked up over a woman’s body.
She took a deep breath to calm herself before walking into the bathroom. She was fighting a losing battle with her thoughts. She came up short when Nic turned around and the towel slipped, exposing both her breasts. Nic quickly yanked the towel back up, covering herself, but Claire saw the expression of mortification on her face.

Hoping to diffuse a heated situation by getting Nic’s shirt back on Claire said, “So let’s get your bandage on, shall we?”

She pulled out a box of medical supplies from the cabinet and took out all the things she would need to cover Nic’s scar. She didn’t have to look at Nic to know that Nic was looking at her, she could feel it. She was embarrassed to have been caught looking at Nic’s breasts, especially since she had felt her own body respond so quickly. Returning to her seat on the toilet, she took out a pair of scissors and cut an oversized strip of gauze. She laid the strip over the scar and then went about cutting several lengths of tape to hold the gauze in place. She applied each piece of tape, making sure not to touch the graft and gently smoothing the tape down on Nic’s back, and innocently enjoying the feel of Nic’s back against her hand.

Nic could feel every stroke of Claire’s fingers as she applied the bandage. Slowly she felt herself start to get aroused at Claire’s touch. Nic knew she was treading on dangerous ground with this woman, but she couldn’t help herself. Her body was betraying her at every touch. She had to bide her time until Claire was done and then she could get herself dressed and out of this compromising situation. Time was her enemy at this point though, and it seemed to drag with each stroke down her back, the touch of Claire’s fingers sending chills throughout her body. It was a slow stroke along her rib cage that did her in.

She felt her heart speed-up, her nipples harden and her breath catch at the light contact along her breast. She heard Claire take a sudden gulp of air and her own sharp intake of breath gave away the fact that she too had felt the close contact.

“Oh, um… I, uh….”

“I— we are done here, aren’t we?” It was more a statement than a question, as Nic stood and grabbed her t-shirt. She quickly donned the shirt and stepped away, hoping to put as much distance as she could between her and the person responsible for her over stimulated libido.

“Yes, of course, I’m sorry for… well you know. I mean, I didn’t mean to touch … well you know what I mean.” Claire motioned with her hands towards Nic’s back as if she were giving some type of directions. Looking for a way out, she quickly gathered up the medical supplies.

“I should check on Grace while you get yourself together. Not that I mean you’re not together or anything but… oh hell, I’m gonna check on my daughter. Come out when you’re done.” Claire looked like a sprinter heading for a second place finish as she left the bathroom and made her way back to the front room where Grace was still watching TV.

Nic started to laugh at Claire’s obvious discomfort and suddenly knew she wasn’t the only one feeling something. She felt herself relax as she regained her composure. She finished tucking her t-shirt into her jeans. She liked being in control and she was always in control. Control was power to Nic and she never gave up her power to anyone. She had learned at an early age to control her emotions. If her parents had taught her anything, it was that control meant power over people, or so they thought. Even if Claire was straight, it was good to know she wasn’t the only one hot and bothered.

Nic left the bathroom feeling a little more like herself. When she entered the living room, she saw Claire holding Grace and whispering something in her daughter’s ear. Grace shook her head animatedly, jumped down and ran to the kitchen.

Their eyes met briefly as Claire stood to follow her daughter into the kitchen. “Would you like to join us for dinner, Major?”

It was clear that Claire was trying to put some verbal distance between herself and the officer by using Nic’s rank and it bothered Nic for some reason. Nic had kept her cool and didn’t make a big deal out of the innocent touch.
Okay several touches,
Nic thought, but innocent nevertheless. She was beyond confused.

“Maybe I should go. I seem to have upset you for some reason and it would probably be better if I leave. Another time?”

“What? You think I am upset with you. What would I be upset with you for? No, no, I’m not upset with you at all, please…”

Nic inclined her head, waiting for Claire to continue.

“Look, it’s not you, I assure you. Please, please stay for dinner and let me at least feed you since it was my daughter who jumped all over you and irritated your injury.” Claire knew she was practically begging Nic to stay for dinner, partly out of guilt for what had happened with Grace and partly because she didn’t want Nic to think that she had done something wrong.

“Peeese,” Grace whispered as she grabbed Nic’s leg and hugged it.

Reaching down she picked Grace up and said, “Okay. Since you asked so nicely, I guess I can stay a little longer.” Smiling back at Claire, she gave the little girl a peck on the cheek and tossed her gently into the air. Grace squealed as she landed safely back in Nic’s arms.