Tennessee Rose

Part 14 - Marshall

Written by Lolalittlelegs

Ten minutes ago I was mentally high fiving myself after stealing a sneaky kiss from Rose, My tongue slips out over my lips tasting the memory of our first kiss, she didn’t pull away and she didn't hit me so I'm taking that as a sign of victory. It was pretty amazing for a first kiss.

Then I needed the restroom and took a wrong turn into what looked like a babies nursery, she didn't show me this room when she gave me the tour of her place I stood there for a few seconds before I heard Rose open her bedroom door and come flying across the hallway towards the nursery, she looks inside the room and closes the door before turning and facing me.
Her eyes are filled with unshed tears as she looks up into mine, my hands move up and grip the tops of her shoulder “What is this?” I ask her, she looks about us wildly looking for the words she wants too use but instead I watch as she begins to panic and I'm powerless as I watch the panic build and build until she clutches her neck, her breathing becoming erratic and I'm not sure what to do to help her, she's having a panic attack for sure.

Think Marshall what do we need to do here. When suddenly her body feels limp in my arms, her legs giving way as she passes out.

Keeping hold of her, preventing her from hitting the floor I bend and hook her legs with my arm and carrying her back into the nursery there's a comfortable couch in there and I lay her out flat on it, fingers drifting over the soft skin of her neck searching for her pulse, I find it pumping away steadily, no longer beating fast and hard. I sit on the couch and lifting her legs higher than her chest, rest them in my lap and wait for her to come round.

The nursery is decorated beautifully, a whole lot of love went into this room that's easy for anyone to see. There's a large framed photo of a exhausted yet happy looking Rose holding her new born son. I can't even begin to imagine how she felt that day giving birth early after her husband had died, I bet it was a hard thing feeling happy about having him contrasting with the devastating grief she must have felt that day. I’d like to have a helping hand in making her feel better.

She moves beside me, her body twisting about as she comes round. I watch her eyes carefully as they flutter open, she has the longest eyelashes I have ever seen, a fleeting flash of them brushing against my face when I kissed her gatecrashes my thoughts as I reach out for the hand she's holding out to me,  covering it with mine and squeezing it gently, trying to reassure her.

Rose moves slowly replacing her feet in my lap with her head, automatically my fingers wind through the silky stands of her short dark hair and massaging her scalp as she plays absentmindedly with the zipper on my hoodie “Do you think I'm crazy Marsh?” Her voice is weak and the question pulls at something deep in my chest, I shake my head in reply “No Rose, not at all” She closes her eyes in what looks like relief to me so I continue speaking “I have one of Proof's jackets at home in a glass case, I keep it in there so it still smells of him, I understand this better than you think!”

“You've never put it away, out of sight?” she enquires, Smiling and stroking her cheek gently “No" I shake my head “I'm not ready yet, it's been over seventeen years but I like having it around. It makes me feel better there might come a time when I wanna put it away but not right now Rose" she cries a little as my words sink in understanding where I'm coming from “I'm not ready to clear this room out yet Marshall, my mom said I should try removing one thing everyday, I tried it but I think maybe it was too soon! It felt like a set back rather than moving forward ya know" “Yeah I know baby!”

My reply is softly spoken and she pulls the zipper of my hoodie all the way down so it opens and I watch as she pulls my t shirt up an inch or so, her warm fingers graze across the exposed skin making my stomach muscles flinch in reaction to her touch. I'm not sure what she's playing at but I know for sure she's not ready for whatever she seems to be trying to instigate.