Feelings

Chapter 30

The weekend arrived, and thankfully, Casey Garrison had stabilized enough to be able to go home on medication, though she couldn't participate on her soccer team for the rest of the season. She would need follow-up visits to monitor her condition as well. Lim woke up, thankfully nightmare free, and rolled over to find Melendez stirring awake as well. He rolled over and smiled softly, still not quite believing Lim was actually his. He kissed her and asked, "How'd you sleep?"

Lim sighed. "Well enough. Looking forward to today," she smirked.

Melendez smirked. "For the game or after the game?"

She chuckled. "Both," she admitted truthfully.

They both kissed passionately. "Or we could just stay here all day," said Melendez.

"Neil, I paid good money for those tickets. They're not going to waste," she scolded jokingly, throwing off the covers. She ran her hand over his chest and grinned. "But if you're well-behaved today, you might get something extra special later tonight."

Melendez shifted in bed, already longing to know what Lim had planned. "Well, then I'll be your perfect little angel all day."

Lim glared at him jokingly. "It's physically impossible for you to be a perfect little angel."

"You ain't no saint, Lim!" he teased.

"Yeah, yeah," she called from the bathroom. "Shut up and start getting ready if we want to get to San Francisco at a decent time."

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The pair grabbed breakfast before they hit the road, both looking forward to getting away from home and the hospital for the day. Lim had been contemplating bringing up something to Melendez for a while, but she had chickened out whenever she thought about mentioning it. Living together was going smoothly enough; sure, they had some stupid fights here and there, but nothing they hadn't compromised on in the end. They had made their relationship known to the rest of the hospital, but there were still people they hadn't told, namely Melendez's parents, Gabi, and Josh, "Hey, Neil?"

"Hmm?" he asked, not taking his eyes off of the road.

"You'd say we're doing pretty well, right?" asked Lim hesitantly.

"In life or with each other?" he asked for clarification.

"With us," she confirmed.

"Sure, we don't scream in each other's faces when we argue, we're adjusting to living together, our relationship is no longer clouding our judgment at work. Why?" asked Melendez.

Lim sighed before she said, "Because I think it's time to reveal our relationship to our families."

Melendez nodded his understanding, but didn't say anything for a few moments. "I can guarantee you Gabi will be thrilled."

"No, I know. And I'm sure your parents will be too. It's my brother I'm worried about," admitted Lim.

It had been a while since Josh had come to San Jose for a visit, a few Christmases ago to be exact. It had been the Christmas after Melendez and Jessica had gotten engaged, so the four of them had spent the holiday together. Sure, Josh had a busy life in Dallas, but it's not like he wasn't a good older brother to Lim. "Why are you afraid to tell him?"

Lim sighed. "I don't know. Just that even though we're 36 and 44, he still thinks of me as his little sister whom he needs to protect. Even more so ever since my divorce, which I don't get, because he's gotten divorced too," she trailed off. "Anyway, I digress. He wants to come up to San Jose for my birthday and just to see me."

"And he doesn't know about us," finished Melendez.

"I mean, he knows we're friends, but not 'friends'," Lim used quotes for emphasis. "It's not that I think he won't like you or anything, he's just been so worried about me with my lungs and the PTSD, I haven't had the heart to tell him about us. Not that I'm embarrassed by you or anything; he just is an overprotective fool sometimes," Lim quickly added.

Melendez couldn't help but chuckle. Josh Lim had not been a happy camper after he had found out about Kashal and Lim's divorce. "I remember."

"And, of course, with us living together, he's going to find out," said Lim. "So, I think it's only fair we tell everyone. I'm fairly stable both physically and mentally, we're fairly stable...I think it's time."

Melendez finally reached over and grabbed her hand. "Agreed. So when is your brother coming to visit?"

"He wants to fly in the last week of June, my birthday weekend," answered Lim.

"Well, then maybe we can all go out to dinner for your birthday," he said.

Once they arrived in San Francisco, they spent the day visiting the kitschy tourist attractions (and probably acting like two idiots, but they didn't care). Lim showed Melendez around Chinatown, reflectively describing the Lunar New Year celebration that took place there that she had annually attended with her family as a child. Once the game finally rolled around, Melendez couldn't help but laugh at the fact that he was almost positive that Lim could be a spokesperson for the San Francisco Giants. Even though the Dodgers beat the Giants that night, the couple still had a good time. Once they arrived home, Lim hadn't been kidding about having a surprise for Melendez (she must have paid a visit to Victoria's Secret at the local mall, which pretty much proved her love for him given the fact that she usually avoided shopping malls at all costs). Soon, they were just lying bed in silence, though they were both thoroughly satisfied. "Why can't every day be like today?" asked Lim out of the blue.

"What do you mean?" asked Melendez.

"No difficult cases, no complex surgeries, no work related stress, no petty fights, no flashbacks or other PTSD symptoms, no doctor's appointments for lungs; just you and me without a care in the world. The only thing that could've made today better is if the Giants hadn't gotten their asses handed to them by their biggest rival," she rambled absentmindedly.

Melendez couldn't help but smile to himself. "I guess if every day was like today, then it wouldn't be special."

"Agreed." Lim smiled cutely, the smile that made his heart just melt.

He rolled onto his side, kissed her, and stroked her cheek. "I love you so damn much."

"I love you too," she answered back and then yawned. "Well, it's been a long day."

"Yes, it has," Melendez agreed. He kissed her again. "Have a good night."

Lim didn't answer, but instead set the oxygen machine to the right setting and closed her eyes. Melendez couldn't help but watch her sleep peacefully. He loved this woman more than life itself, and it made him wonder why he ever held back for so long. As every day passed, he could picture a future with her in it more and more. Waking up beside her every morning, teasing each other (both at work and home), going on adventures together, raising a family together (she had confirmed she wanted a few kids, so that was a plus for him), and growing old together. He listened to the steady hum of the oxygen machine and Lim's quiet breathing before he finally drifted off to sleep himself.