Every New Beginning... (Chris Evans AU)

.47.

   "You ready to get out of here, handsome?" Opal asks Chris as she follows the orderly that's pushing a wheelchair into his room.

   "More than you can imagine," he answers, shifting to the edge of the bed. His left arm resting in a sling to keep movement at bay. 

   "Easy," she tells him, rushing to his side to help him stand.

   Chris looks over at her. "Opal, my legs work just fine."

   "I just don't want you over doing it."

   He lets out a sigh before accepting her help, leaning onto her just a bit where she's gotten next to his right side. 

   Four days have passed since Chris was admitted to the hospital with a gunshot wound and a stab wound to the chest. Three days have passed since he woke up from his sedation. Three days have gone by since he admitted to being in love with Opal, but has yet to say it again unmedicated. 

  "I'm still amazed you managed to keep your parents from coming down. When I told Pops he tried to get the nurse at rehab to book him a flight."

  Chris looks up at her from the wheelchair when they enter the elevator. "Well, I had to promise I'd be cleared to travel to them for Christmas. And I may have told Spencer to downplay the situation... a lot."

  "Adding devious to your resume now? Should I be concerned that you've kept things from me?" Opal asks as the doors open.

  "Not at all, babe. Full honesty with you." Chris reaches up with his right hand, grasping Opal's left, bringing it closer to him, offering a gentle kiss to her knuckles as the orderly continues to wheel the chair closer to the exit. 

   "I'm parked on the bottom floor of the garage. I'll go pull it around now." Opal leans down to give him a quick kiss to the top of his head.

   Chris watches as she walks away, his face falling a bit. Things have been different the last couple of days at the hospital. They've not spent much time alone together as Chris' door has been constantly revolving with fellow officers and friends coming in to check on him. Even several of the nurses and medics that have known him over the years stopped in to bid their well wishes. Opal would step out constantly, trying to give him his privacy with his coworkers and friends, really only staying when it was Spencer and Laura visiting. But Laura left last night and Spencer has been back on patrol since yesterday morning. 

   He knows there will be a very serious conversation in the upcoming days, one that he's genuinely terrified of, believing this thing with Opal may end before really getting started. 

  A smile comes back across his face as he see's her pulling his car around, stopping jus tin front of him. The orderly wheels him a bit closer before locking the chair in place. Opal begins to jump out of the car but Chris stops her. "Babe, I've got it." She settles back behind the wheel and waits as he get's situated, helping only to buckle him in as he struggles turning due to the chest wound. 

   He brings the belt in front of him as Opal turns to take it from him. Just as she takes it from his hand he reaches across to grasp her cheek, planting a deep kiss against her soft lips. Taking her by surprise, he can't help but smile when he hears the smallest whimper escape. "I've missed that," he whispers against her lips, finally pulling back slightly. He notices the faintest bit of relaxation come across Opal's features before she moves her lips to peck the tip of his nose. "Let's get you home," she says quietly.

    Chris leans back resting his head on the seat, allowing Opal to finish buckling him in.  "Try not to get pulled over, yeah?" he teases her.

   "Why not? I've got an officer in the car with me this time. No need to think up some crazy excuse or use my womanly wiles," she laughs out. 

~~~~~

Chris POV

  I just shake my head at the crazy woman sitting next to me, watching her as she pulls out of the place I've called home the last four days. "Have I seen these womanly wiles?" 

  "Have you pulled me over?" I narrow my eyes as she glances back and forth before pulling out into traffic.

  "Is that what I have to do to see your devious side, Miss Lucas?"

  She responds with a bright laugh. The kind I've not heard at all in the last four days. "So, the news said that this was the largest bust in Atlanta since the 80s," she says changing subjects. Another way of showing our playful banter hasn't redeemed itself since the shooting. 

   "That was the plan," I tell her. "I couldn't mention that before hand for obvious reasons."

  "What obvious reasons?"

   I turn to look at her and realize she really  has no clue. "I didn't want to worry you anymore than necessary. I didn't feel it would help the situation."

  Opal keeps her eyes on the road, only nodding at my confession. 'Yep, things are not the same anymore,' I think to myself as we spend the rest of the ride to my apartment in silence. 

  "I went to the store yesterday while you were in therapy and grabbed a few things." Opal tells me once we've gotten inside my apartment. She tosses my keys onto the table that sits by the door before dropping her purse on the floor next to it. "I was thinking I'd make hamburgers tonight. You can probably eat that with just one hand, right?"  I lean my back up against the wall closest to the kitchen, watching her begin to pull out items from the fridge. 

   I want to make a move and go ahead and hash out whatever conversation we need to have at this moment. But, I've known Opal long enough now to know that she's got to have some type of control over something or she'll crumble. "That sounds good actually. And I'm sure you can't mess up a burger." The statement earns me a glare as she pulls my frying pan out of the bottom cupboard. I just toss her a wink in response. 

  She moves around the small kitchen, now knowing where everything is that she needs. "Oh! I also stripped the bed and washed the sheets so they're fresh for you tonight."

  "You're not sleeping on the couch, Opal."

   "Yes, I am," she tells me adamantly. "You can't get up and down on the couch with your wounds, Christopher."

   "Christopher?" I drop my head in a questioning manner. "What are you doing full naming me in my own home?" 

  She turns to face me full on, a very direct look across her face. "I may be in your home, but you cannot take care of yourself completely yet. So, let's try this again shall we." She steps closer to me, bringing a hand to rest on my chest, just over my heart. "Read. My. Lips. You're taking the bed."

  I feel the smirk breaking it's way onto my lips as I brush my tongue over them. "I'd much rather do something else with your lips."

  For the moment I think our playful banter has returned until she pushes away from me. I catch her hand in mine and pull her gently to my chest. I can tell she's resisting, afraid she's going to hurt me. I feel her arm wrap around me so gently that I can barely feel it.

 "Opal, I'm not going to break." 

  Little did I know those simple words I made in jest, would unlock a dam of emotions as I begin to feel her body shake against mine.