Living with the Nurse

Chapter 22: Nick

Jess was in the shower, calling out to Lucy through the open door. Lucy, who was in her chair at the bathroom door, grinned and giggled been she saw me. I stopped to kiss her forehead, resisting the urge to hug her. I hadn't changed to street wear, still in my scrubs. Quickly changing out of them and pulling jeans and a shirt on, I focused on getting my shoes back on. Lucy had other ideas, coughing from the hallway.

Knowing Jess was in the shower, I went down the hall and quickly pulled some gloves on. They were too tight, but did the job. I turned the suction on, easily getting everything out if Lucy's mouth. Jess burst out of the bathroom, clutching a towel to her chest and dripping wet. I could still hear the shower running, steam curling around Jess. It smelt like apples, as if she was washing her hair.

"It's okay. I've got her. Go finish your shower" turning the suction off, I waited for Lucy to cough again. I knew she would. Jess was still at the door way, staring wide eyed.

"I...I thought you were at work" she gulped, hair still dripping around her. I forced myself not to stare at the gentle swell of her breasts, peeking out from the top of the towel. Or those legs. Bloody hell, those legs would haunt me.

"Just got back" Lucy coughed again, giving me a reason not to let myself stare at Jess's thighs. I could tell they were toned and strong, smooth olive skin visible. And covered in water. Jess reached out, as if instinct was driving her to do something. I grinned up at her, ushering her back into the bathroom.

"Better hurry. Before the water goes cold" she flushed, as if just realising how underdressed she was. Once she was confident I could handle suctioning Lucy, she backed away slowly. The door didn't close, as if she couldn't let herself do that. Just in case. I heard some muffling of the water, Jess obviously stepping back I to the shower.

"Now, what do you say we go watch a movie? I've got a couple hours before I'll crash and burn. How about Frozen? You still like that movie?" Ruffling Lucy's loose curls, I grinned at her giggles.

"I'll take that smile as a yes. We just gotta tell Mummy quickly" starting to knock on the open door, I stopped when I heard some crackling. Like a radio.

"Right here. I can hear everything through her baby monitor. Go ahead and put a movie on" my head snapped to the side, spotting the white object that wasn't usually in the chair. I assumed that was the monitor in question, picking it up carefully.

"So you can hear this?" My whisper was juvenile, but I couldn't resist. Jess's laugh could be heard over the shower.

"Yes, Nick. I can hear that" she was whispering now, too.

"Just checking. We'll be waiting for you" I replaced the monitor and pushed Lucy down the hall, bringing her to a stop in front of the TV. Setting the movie player up and getting everything ready, I pulled faces and make funny sounds at Lucy. She bounced and giggled me, her blond curls flying everywhere. Her hair had gotten longer, almost reaching her shoulders. I didn't notice how much she had grown. Her eyes were still the same colour, just like Jess's. Beautiful.

Jess came in, hair still wet and in a messy bun. She had put her pyjamas on, her usual tank top and bottoms. I wished I had thought if that, regretting my jeans. Lucy was quickly pulled out of her chair, snuggled on Jess's other side- just like always- and surrounded by her equipment. She tried to pull her oxygen prongs out, a cheeky grin dimpling her cheeks.

"I see you there" Jess took Lucy's hands, removing the tubes from her curled fingers. Peppering her face with kisses, Jess distracted Lucy long enough for me to get the movie playing. As soon as the movie filled the screen, Lucy was fascinated. We watched in a comfortable silence, just like always. My head wound up on Jess's lap, just like always. Only, this time, I was awake. Letting myself get comfortable, I drifted off to sleep with Jess and Lucy's fingers in my hair.

~~~

Jess was humming, her fingers tracing through my hair and along my neck. They kept dipping beneath my shirt, gently trailing back and forth. I resisted the urge to moan, or purr. I certainly felt like a cat. A sound escaped my throat, making it impossible to feign sleep. Jess didn't stop, still running her fingers through my hair.

"What time is it?" My voice was gravelly, rasping out of my dry throat. Jess kept stroking, and Lucy's fingers joined hers. I could hear her garbling and chatting beside my head, her sweet little voice relaxing me even further. It was nice, having my head in a woman's lap and hearing a child beside me. This is what I wanted my future to look like. Hell, I wanted it now.

"Bedtime. You got work early tomorrow, again?" I groaned, remembering I was taking another early shift. It wasn't as bad as a night shift, but I knew I was going to get slugged with the long hours. Another bug was going through the staff.

"Yeah" I didn't move, not wanting to. I didn't want to go to my bed by myself. Go sleep in a silent, dark room. No, I wanted to be with someone. I wanted to hear someone breath beside me. I was lonely, but I also just wanted to be near Jess. To be around her. Closing my eyes tightly, I knew what was wrong with me. I was falling for her. I was falling in love with my sister's best friend- my roommate. Shit.

"We better hit the sack then" she kept stroking, making no attempts to move me. I clung to her tighter, needing to hold her in that moment. I didn't have the right to think about her the way I was. I also didn't have the right to want to do the things I wanted to do to her. She wasn't mine, no matter how much I wanted her to be.

"Yeah" rolling over, I shuffled back into her lap. Pressing my fave against her belly, I sighed in contentment. I could stay there all night. One arm went around Jess, the other going around Lucy. I easily fell back to sleep, holding them both. Jess had to eventually wake me up, shaking my shoulder and calling my name. Ignoring her, I groaned and nuzzled against her. I thought I heard her hiss, but wasn't sure.

"Nick, honey, I really need you up"

"No. Comfortable. Let's sleep on the couch tonight" she chuckled, obviously not taking me seriously. I didn't want to let her go.

"Come on, time for bed" grumbling the whole way, I climbed off the couch and stretched. My yawn was record worthy. Jess stood, keeping an eye on Lucy as she went, and also stretched. Her hands went to her ass, catching my attention quickly.

"I can't feel my butt"

"You want me to message it for you?" I couldn't resist, not in my sleepy state. She laughed, slapping me in my chest.

"Not tonight" she turned and began collecting Lucy, and everything Lucy would need. Coming up behind her, I reached around her to grab the suction and the oxygen tank. Jess was pressed right against me, frozen. I withdrew, careful not to let cords get tangled together. We trekked down the hall, putting everything where it needed to go. Lucy was already asleep, sighing as she was lowered into the cot.

Jess disappeared, probably to get medications, while I continued placing everything in the right places. She slept, so peaceful and adorable. I was stroking her hair, on my knees, when Jess re-entered her room. She leaned over me, injecting the different liquids down Lucy's tube. I kept stroking the little girls curls, marvelling over how beautiful she was. I loved her, this little baby girl. I wished I could call her mine, along with her mother. I wished we could be a family, the three of us. I knew, however, that Jess was still wary of men after Lucy's father. I couldn't make a move, not yet.

Standing, I gave Lucy a kiss on the forehead. She didn't stir. I turned and found Jess, watching me. Kissing her too, I gave her a sleepy smile.

"I'll see you tomorrow"

"Yeah... Night, Nick" leaving the room, I warily went to my own. My empty bed was more like a curse than anything. Stripping off, I didn't bother with pyjamas. Instead, I just fell into bed naked. Even my underwear was missing for tonight. Barely pulling the blankets over myself, I was fast to fall asleep. I could barely hear Jess moving around down the hall, or Lucy's oxygen tank hissing- but it was there. My door was open, making everything louder. Just hearing that there were people close, I fell asleep.