| Neighbors By Lilybird |
| Chapter 34 (Note: The song lyrics used in this chapter are being used without permission, but no infringement is intended.) Oded packed his bag and left immediately. With the premiere of the show on Sunday, the promotion department for the network had arranged for most of the cast to fly to New York City, then L.A. to promote the premiere. At first he had declined, agreeing to do the interviews from Vancouver by phone. But now, he thought getting away was just what he needed. He headed back to the set to catch his ride to the airport. Abby returned home very late, having found a little restaurant for dinner where she sat grading papers, avoiding home and Oded. It was after 1:00am and his car was nowhere to be seen. She was surprised he would be at work this late, but quickly realized he must have come and gone since the box was missing from his doorstep. She looked at her own door and saw no sign that he had left anything else for her. Cautiously, she went inside checking her machine but found no messages. She began to wonder where he might be and suddenly worried that maybe he had looked for her at school. She called and checked the voice mail at her office. No messages there either. Whatever his response had been to finding the returned gifts, apparently he had decided against trying to contact her. She locked her door and climbed the stairs to bed, feeling empty. She had expected something. She had expected to make him mad. Maybe she had, but she hadn't expected his response to be complete and utter silence. She lay in bed contemplating what might be going on in his head. 'Maybe I shouldn't be surprised at his silence, like we've communicated so well about this up to now,' she thought. She fell into a fitful sleep, plagued with guilt for how she had treated him. Waking up, she was surprised to still find him gone. He had never come home last night and now she worried that something had happened to him. She wanted to call and make sure he was okay, but she knew she couldn't and found herself fretting. She went to work and returned home to find him still missing. Day turned into night turned into morning and turned into day again. She felt a constant low level of panic in the pit of her stomach. Her head was cloudy with worry and she wandered her house in a daze, constantly looking for him to come home. It was Saturday and he had been gone for two days. She had no way to check on him without calling him directly. As the evening began to wane and still no sign of him, she made a decision. Her nerves in the pit of her stomach making her feel like she would vomit, she walked over to his place and found the spare key still within the light fixture. She opened his door, having decided she at least needed to see if he had left with all of his belongings or not. The fears in her head were making her believe perhaps he had left for good. She walked in, flipping on the light, turning suddenly at what she thought was a sound behind her, but it was nothing. "Your luck, he'll show up any second," she whispered to herself. She found the box of gifts still on the dining room table. The box of earrings was open, but the bracelet was nowhere to be seen. She felt a wave of sadness run through her and had to choke down a gasp, knowing her decision to give him back the bracelet must have hurt him immensely. She turned and looked into the living room, the Scrabble game the two had played more than a week ago still sat on his coffee table. For some reason he had never put it away. She walked over to it, intent on cleaning it off, but realizing she couldn't or he would know she had been here. She quickly went up his stairs to finish her investigation. His closets still had clothes and his bathroom still had toiletries. Well then, he hadn't left for forever. She breathed a sigh of relief, her fear subsiding. She realized in these past two days that she was lost over the idea that she would never see him again. She hated herself for what she had done. She headed back home, locking his door, leaving everything as she found it. "So if he hasn't moved... then where is he?" she wondered aloud. She desperately wished she had Cheryl's cell phone number. She just wanted to make sure he was okay. Then she remembered she did. She ran to her place and dug in the trash by her desk. When Cheryl had called her about the UC party from the bar, she had left Abby her personal number. She had written it down, then tossed it later. She pulled it from the basket. Her fingers trembling, she dialed the number before she lost her nerve. Cheryl answered on the third ring. "Hello, this is Cheryl." "Cheryl, Hi, this is Abby Bettinger. Listen, before you say anything is Oded with you?" Cheryl looked over her shoulder at the very man sitting next to her, before turning back to the phone, twisting her shoulder away from Oded. "Yes," she answered. "Please, Cheryl, don't tell him it's me. I just want to know if he's okay. He disappeared two days ago and I was worried. Just tell me if he's alright." "Yes, fine. Well, sort of." Cheryl got up and walked out of hearing range, catching an inquisitive look from Oded as she stood. When she had stepped further away, she started again. "Abby, what happened between you two?" "Cheryl, I really don't want to talk about it. I was just worried about him." "Abby, we've been on a press junket for the show. We were in New York City doing interviews. We flew to L.A. today. We fly back tomorrow. He'll be back for the premiere." "I see... well, I'm just glad to hear he's all right, Thanks, Cheryl." Abby answered, her fears evaporating, being replaced with the temporary euphoria of relief. Cheryl started again, before Abby could cut the conversation short. "Wait, Abby. I know this is none of my business, but I can't help it. He may be all right physically, but he's not all right emotionally. He's a mess. He's not sleeping and he's hardly eating. Abby, I've known Oded a long time and I've never seen him like this. He really loves you. And you've devastated him. You do know that, don't you?" Hearing the words come from Cheryl made it even worse. "Yes, I do know that, and I love him too. My feelings for him are not the problem." Cheryl was getting frustrated. "Then what is the problem? This doesn't make any sense." "I really don't want to talk about it. Please don't tell him I called. Thank you, Cheryl, I have to go." And with that she hung up the phone. Cheryl stood listening to the dial tone for a second. She was pissed. She headed over to Oded, intent on telling him Abby had checked up on him, at least to give him some hope. He looked up at her, those puppy dog eyes melting her heart. "Who was that?" he asked. She opened her mouth to confess, then thought twice. "No one." She sat down again, watching him go back to the magazine he was reading. Realizing it wouldn't do any good to hurt him further. He obviously hadn't told Abby he was leaving. Whatever the reasons for the way the two were acting, she decided to stay out of it. At least for now. Cheryl knew Oded well enough to realize that interfering now would just get him angry. She had been through a lot with him these past few years and she knew one thing for certain, he had never been happier than the first weeks he had spent with Abby in his life. And watching him now, the most depressed she had ever seen him she knew she couldn't sit back and let him self destruct for long. If the two of them couldn't work it out when they returned to Vancouver she would say something. Figure out a way to at least get them to talk to one another. She cared deeply for Oded and it hurt her to see him suffer like this. Oded retired to his hotel room for the evening exhausted. Leaving without saying goodbye to Abby had been a rash decision. He wondered if she even cared that he was gone. He fingered the bracelet in his pocket, which he had taken to carrying with him everywhere he went, like a token to keep her close to him somehow. The night he left, he had been furiously angry and hurt, but since then, as more time passed he found himself thinking about her as if she had died. He felt now as if he was grieving. Sitting on his bed, he closed his eyes trying to see her face. He didn't even have a picture of her. She had never given him one and he had never had a chance to take any of her. He sighed shaking his head sadly. He was frustrated by the memory of the night they had played Scrabble. If he had won, he had planned to grab his camera and take a whole roll of film of her and of them together. She was so shy he didn't think she would have posed for him under other circumstances and he had missed his chance. As he lay on the bed he focused his mind on her and saw her face clearly, the freckles that crossed the bridge of her nose, the little smile lines by her eyes, the arch of her cheekbones. He didn't need the picture, he almost felt like she was here with him. He wanted to reach up to touch her face but shook himself making his memory of her blurry and then fade away. He needed to give up on her and that meant blocking these memories. Sunday arrived and after a few more interviews Oded and the rest of the cast flew back to Vancouver. They immediately headed to the set to watch the premiere together and celebrate afterwards. It was bittersweet for Oded. He hadn't joined the cast for the first two shows so he wasn't in the first episode. He was supportive of his cast, but really wanted nothing more than to go home and crash. Abby continued to plague his mind and he kept shaking her out of it. He left the party as soon as he reasonably could and drove home. Her lights were on, but he didn't even look for her. After talking to Cheryl on Saturday, Abby was relieved to hear that Oded was okay. But after the relief wore off she realized the significance of what he had done. He had left and not told her, he was giving up on her and she knew it. She felt herself slide into despair. She had wanted him to do this, she recognized that, but now that he really had, she felt true emptiness making its way into her life. She took to her bed, not leaving it for most of Sunday as she mourned the end of her relationship. She finally hauled herself downstairs to eat sometime in the late afternoon and then flumped on the couch with no energy to do anything else. She curled up on the couch in her flannel pajamas with an afghan and turned on the TV. She surfed the stations for hours. She knew the UC premiere was on at 9:00 and didn't know if she dared watch it. But in the end she did, feeling tears well up at the beginning when his face and name were shown in the opening credits. She had forgotten he wasn't in the first two episodes, remembering their conversation about it once the show began. She was relieved actually. Having to watch him would have been emotionally impossible. After the show she went back to bed, not even turning off the lights in the living room. She knew she was going to have to snap out of this, she had to work tomorrow and life wouldn't stop just because she was heartbroken. But she needed the time now to grieve, not knowing Oded was feeling the same way she did. The next week came and went for both of them in a dull, hazy, emotionless blur. They avoided each other. Oded spotted Abby leaving in the morning and purposely waited until she was gone before he left the house. Abby saw Oded in the kitchen and went upstairs to avoid being seen by him. They both dropped the shades in the bathroom permanently, the possibility of seeing each other too likely and too painful for either to bear. They both were slowly trying to move on with their lives. Neither did more than work, eat and sleep and the idea of actually interacting socially with anyone made them both depressed and fitful. So they went about their lives both thinking it would get a little easier every day. But it didn't. They were haunted by dreams of each other, by memories of each other and each was slipping further and further into depression. By the end of the week, Abby really thought she was starting to feel better. She realized she wasn't thinking about him every minute anymore. Of course, she also denied the fact that in the past five days she had read six novels and averaged three hours of sleep a night, trying to distract her head and keep him out of it. But overall, she was quite pleased with herself. She was working in lab early Friday afternoon, the radio on in the background when she found herself listening to a song she had never heard. Ever since Oded had given her the CDs, she had been plagued by song lyrics. Everything she heard affected her. She had been forced to give up the radio. But one of her students had turned it on earlier and she hadn't even noticed until the words reached her and when they did they were the only things she could hear. She put her head down on her lab bench as her feelings overwhelmed her. "I miss the arms that used to hold me The tender way we used to kiss I miss the way that you touch me I miss the sweet taste of your lips" "I was a fool to ever leave you You were a fool to let me go Oh it's so lonesome, lonesome here with out you Oh how I miss you so" "It hurt... it hurt... it hurt so bad You were the best man I ever had Why was I so blind to see? Now the biggest fool is me" "I miss the arms that used to hold me The tender way we used to kiss Ooo... yes... ooo... I miss the way that you touch me I miss the sweet taste of your lips" "It hurt... it hurt... it hurt so bad 'Cause ooo you were the best man I ever, ever, ever had Why was I so blind to see And now the biggest fool is me..." She heard the DJ in the background, "And that was 'It Hurt so Bad' by Susan Tedeschi off her Just Won't Burn CD." She almost laughed out loud at the irony of the lyrics. She sighed deeply. "I AM the biggest fool," she murmured out loud. Her head still on her lab bench, she banged it softly several times, not seeing the odd looks from the students who worked around her. She had been kidding herself about feeling better. She was no more over him now than she had been a week ago. She knew that she wanted him back, she wanted him in her life, but now she feared it was too late. She thought he wouldn't forgive her. 'I don't deserve for him to forgive me,' she thought to herself, 'I wouldn't forgive me...' She shook her head in resignation. She worked a while longer, not able to concentrate. She finally headed back down the hall to her office to gather her things and saw the light blinking on her phone. She picked it up and absentmindedly hit 'play' to listen to the voice mail message. It was Cheryl's voice on the message and immediately Abby's heart almost stopped. Her attention was suddenly refocused. "Abby, it's Cheryl, Oded's been hurt you need to come to the University hospital right away." She listened to the words in a state of shock. Her face went pale and she had to sit, her legs going weak beneath her. 'My god, what happened?' she asked aloud. She grabbed the phone book to look up the hospital information number. Dialing frantically, barely waiting for the receptionist to answer before beginning to talk. "I'm calling about a patient, Oded Fehr, he was recently admitted. Can you tell me where he is?" Abby could hear typing on the other end of the phone. "I'm sorry that information is not available. Are you family?" She thought about lying. "No," she answered. "I'm sorry only family is admitted." She hung up, knowing she would get that response. She sat unable to fight back the tears and the panic welling up in her body. 'Why didn't Cheryl give her more information? Why didn't she leave a number?' She raced for the office, telling Shuralee she was leaving and she didn't know when she would be back. She didn't have Cheryl's phone number with her, she debated about going home to get it or heading straight for the hospital. She went home. She was hoping she could get a hold of Cheryl, fully expecting no one in the hospital would likely help her - remembering how the bouncer at the party kept her at bay until Cheryl vouched for her. She raced into the apartment, grabbing the number, wishing she had a cell phone so she could call on the way. But she forced herself to sit down and dial. It rang and rang with no answer. She was starting to go hysterical. She dialed Oded's number hoping that maybe somebody had his phone. She desperately wanted to hear his voice on the other end. But nobody picked up. She grabbed her purse and left for the hospital. She couldn't sit and wait, not knowing what was happening. On the way to the hospital, in her state of panic, she berated herself for her stupidity and her callousness. 'Why had I ever pushed him away?' She thought to herself over and over. "I love him and he loves me. Or at least he did," she realized. The reality hitting her in the face of losing him forever now cemented her resolve. She didn't want to live without him, regardless of what the future would hold. She couldn't know the future, all she could know was now, and she knew now that she had made the biggest mistake of her life. She arrived at the hospital and started in the emergency room. But if he was there they wouldn't tell her and she saw no one in the waiting room that she recognized. She was getting closer and closer to hysterical, having to physically stop herself from running down the halls. She went to the main admissions desk but with no luck. Her heart was racing. She sat in the lounge, her head in her hands, the tears now streaming down her face when Cheryl walked in. "Abby!" she rushed to her. "Oh my god, Cheryl! Where is he? What happened? Is he alright?" One question after another fell from her mouth. She was almost incomprehensible through her tears. "Abby, he's okay. He's going to be fine." "I couldn't get anyone to tell me where he was, or what happened. I tried to call you, but I couldn't get through." Abby was now sobbing uncontrollably. She had been forcing herself to hold back her emotions, fear for the worst blocking them out. Now, hearing that he was okay, they all fell out in a whoosh and it took her a few minutes just to deal with the flood of feelings that overcame her. Cheryl sat holding her hand. "I know, Abby I'm sorry. They made us turn off the phones in his room. I'm so sorry I didn't tell you more when I called, I didn't know how serious it was when I left you that message." "What happened?" she asked, when she could finally talk without a choking sob interrupting her words. "He missed his cue for a stunt fall and fell about 15 feet. He hit his head pretty hard, and was unconscious. But he's had x-rays and besides a banged up shoulder and some sore muscles, he's going to be fine." "Is he awake? Can I see him?" She looked at Cheryl with open emotion on her face. "He's not awake yet. You want to see him?" Cheryl looked at her curiously, a little grin playing at her lips. Abby smiled weakly and almost laughed, "Yes, apparently it took hitting HIM over the head to make me realize what a fool I've been. Please, I would like to see him." She almost chuckled, realizing now how fortuitous it was that she had called her. When the accident had happened and Cheryl was trying to figure out what to do, one of her first thoughts was to call Abby. Since they had returned from the trip Oded had been nothing but a walking zombie. He was depressed, no longer even able to get angry. Cheryl hoped he would snap out of it, that the two of them would finally talk to one another. But when they didn't and then the accident occurred, she knew she had to let Abby know what had happened. Cheryl just hoped it wasn't too late for the two of them, now kicking herself for not saying something sooner. Cheryl took Abby's hand. "Come on, I'll get you in." Abby stood outside his door with Cheryl, looking in through the window. He was still unconscious, his shoulder splinted in a sling. She looked at his face, so quiet and relaxed. Cheryl watched Abby closely and could see the obvious nervousness in her face. Cheryl finally opened the door and put her hand on Abby's lower back, pushing her gently into the room. Abby entered the room quietly, the butterflies in her stomach flitting nervously, she was worried about what he would say when he saw her. She was terrified that after the way she had hurt him, he wouldn't forgive her and she tried to prepare herself for that. She didn't know if she could walk away if he told her to. She stood beside his bed, watching him. She reached out to touch his arm. Feeling the warmth under her fingers, noticing the contrast in the color of their skin again. She looked at his face. The line of his nose, the dark hair that outlined his mouth and jaw line. She watched him breath, his lips barely parted. "Oded, I'm so sorry," she whispered. She stood for a long time just watching him, finally sitting down in the chair next to him to maintain her vigil. After several hours of waiting, the doctors coming and going, reassuring her that he was fine, that he would come around anytime, she was getting tired. She was emotionally exhausted and her head nodded in her hands as she waited for him to wake up. Finally, too tired to think about what she was doing, she couldn't help herself. She climbed up next to him, wrapping his good arm around her shoulder so she could rest her head on his chest. She listened to him breath, his chest rising and falling under her cheek. His heartbeat reverberating in her ear lulled her back to sleep. Oded woke up slowly. His head hurt and when he tried to shift his weight, he felt a stabbing pain in his shoulder. He unconsciously blew her hair out of his face, as he opened his eyes to figure out what held down his other shoulder. When he saw her lying beside him he closed his eyes, not believing the sight. He opened them again, looking down at her, now feeling her hand resting against his stomach and the weight of her leg that she had crossed over his own to hold her position on the narrow bed next to him. He couldn't remember exactly what had happened, although he quickly surmised that he was in the hospital. The pain in his shoulder telling him he was injured. 'But how did she know? How did she get here?' he thought. He didn't care. She was here, at the moment that was all that mattered. He smiled and tried to shift in the bed. His movement woke her up and she raised her head to look at him, tucking her hair behind her ear. She saw his million-dollar smile and smiled back at him in return. The look on his face making her blush with excitement, the warmth in his eyes melting her heart. She immediately remembered how good it made her feel to have him look at her like that. She had feared that he would send her away, that he would reject her, but her fears vanished without a word. His eyes and smile alone told her how he felt. "Hi," he whispered, his elbow bending to let his hand come up and tangle in her hair, stroking her neck with his fingers as he gazed down at her. "Hi," she whispered back, for a brief second closing her eyes in response to feeling his fingers graze her skin. He felt her hand press against his stomach, her fingers flattening against him. They both stared at one another, saying nothing else as they read each other's emotions. They looked for comfort from one another, for understanding, for forgiveness. Finally, she spoke, "You hit your head pretty hard, how do you feel? You do remember who I am, don't you?" she asked teasingly, now running her fingers very gently across his chest to graze his chin with the palm of her hand. "Oh, my Xatixa," he leaned up to kiss her fingers as she caressed his face, "I don't quite remember what happened that got me into this situation, but you, my sweetness, I cannot forget." She almost shivered at the sound of his voice when she heard the term of endearment he had given her. He continued, "I wouldn't mind forgetting the past two weeks though," he lifted his head as he cocked her chin with his forefinger to make her look at him, "how about you?" He studied her seriously. "I'm sorry Oded, I was a fool." She started, the tears welling up in her eyes again as the emotions started to overtake her. "Shhh. Abby, please don't..." He wrapped his arm around her and hugged her against his chest. Kissing the top of her head, nuzzling his nose into her hair as he inhaled the familiar scent of flowers. "Oded... Ich hob der lieb," she said softly. "Abby?" He paused, waiting for her to look up at him again. When she finally tilted her head, he smiled and looked at her curiously. "You know what that means?" "Yes, 'ded, I do know what it means. I don't want to deny my feelings for you anymore. I thought I had lost you." "Abby, I love you too." He smiled at her, his eyes tearing up a little now as well. They both laughed at the sappiness of the moment as she shifted up onto her elbow. He groaned, her movement making his shoulder spasm. "Oh 'ded, I'm sorry." She started to climb off the bed. "Where are you going?" he reached for her. "Don't you dare leave." She laughed, then relaxed and let him pull her close. She gently leaned down and met his lips with her own. The softness of their kiss melting any remaining fear either felt. "Abby, I know we still need to talk about all of this," he started. She rolled her eyes. "I know, but now is not the time. We have forever to figure this out." She kissed him again, lightly letting her lips trace his, until he pulled her tighter against him, his mouth opening more fully over hers, covering hers, his tongue running along her bottom lip, tempting her to open herself to him. Then he pulled back as he processed her words. He couldn't help but smile at her, his grin interrupting their kiss. "Forever, huh?" he asked her. She didn't answer him. All she could do was nod her head. He linked his fingers into hers as she reached up to kiss him again. They both jumped when the nurse interrupted the moment between them. Abby looked shyly at the woman standing next to the bed, trying to climb out of Oded's arms and put her feet on the floor. But Oded wouldn't let her go. "I'm sorry, but she can't stay." The nurse stated, not addressing Abby, but directing her comments at Oded. "She won't be leaving," he answered her, his voice deep and menacing as he faced off with the nurse. Abby pulled on Oded's wrist, half-falling out of the bed. He reluctantly let her go. "I think we better let them look you over." Abby turned to face him. Leaning in to kiss his cheek. He reached for her and she backed away. "I won't go," she answered his questioning look, not turning to face the nurse. The doctor came in to check on him and Abby moved farther away from the bed. Once the checkup was complete, the doctor turned to her. "It seems Mr. Fehr is adamant that you be able to stay with him. I'll have them bring in a fold out bed for you. We will release him tomorrow, please be advised that he really does need his rest." Abby blushed at the obvious warning and reprimand they had both been given by the doctor and nodded her head vigorously to show that she understood. As the doctor left she heard Oded laugh, the sound deep and resonant coming from his chest. She didn't think she had ever heard anything more glorious in all her life and she flushed at the sound of it. "Come here," she heard him say as she turned to face him. He had moved over in the bed as far as he could, and opened his one good arm to her, inviting her to rejoin him. She sat next to him on the bed, taking his hand in her own, but not climbing back in next to him. "'ded, the doctor is right. If you want to get out of here tomorrow, you really do need your rest. Maybe I should go home tonight." "Over my dead body," he answered before she finished her sentence. "If you leave, I'm going with you." He tried to sit up and she saw the grimace on his face. She stopped him with her hands on his chest. "Please, Oded, don't... I'll stay." She saw the little smile grow on his face and the warmth in his eyes and she sighed with happiness. She looked at him, studying him intently, burning this sight into her memory. "What?" he asked her, feeling a blush come across his cheeks at her perusal, his accent leaking through in his voice. "Nothing," she answered. She leaned down to rest her cheek against his chest and felt him sigh. She smiled. She tucked her legs up next to him, letting her hips slide down to nestle in beside him. She looked up at him as his eyes drew closed. He was obviously tired and she took the opportunity to bask in the moment of being back in his arms. She stayed next to him as he fell back to sleep. When the nurse's aide brought in the rollaway bed she tried to climb off the bed. But he held her tight in his arm. A vise-like grip on her waist. She reached for his hand, but even in his sleep he refused to let her move. She sighed and laid her head back on his chest. She was glad that he hadn't let her go. She hadn't really wanted to. She woke the next morning to his fingers stroking the skin of her back. He had roused before her and managed to work his way under her shirt, gently caressing her skin with his fingertips. When she finally realized what he was doing she opened her eyes. She thought she had been dreaming, and when she figured out she wasn't she smiled to herself. She could tell by the look in his eyes what he had on his mind and she blushed. 'We can't fool around here, we'll get caught,' she thought to herself. But when his arm came up around her shoulder and he pulled her face close to his own, encouraging her to join him in a morning kiss she gave in to the temptation. He explored her mouth thoroughly, his tongue searching out every bit of her. She let him take his time, enjoying the feel of his whiskers tickling the sensitive skin around her lips, choosing not to duel with him as he finished his languid search. His hand now played with the lace at the edge of her bra, coming around her ribs to cup her breast. Her leg was draped over him and as he shifted in the bed she felt the pressure of his manhood, on her hip. She giggled the adrenaline making her body tingle in response. "What is so funny?" he pulled back, looking into her face with dark eyes, obviously intent on continuing his seduction. She pulled back a bit, her own body now coursing with want for him. "Oded... are you wearing anything under this hospital gown?" she teased him, a silly grin on her face. He winked at her mischievously. "Nope." He pulled her back down on to him. She ran her hand down his leg to the edge of the gown and then let her fingers work their way underneath, trailing back up his thigh. Just as her fingers grazed across his hip the door swung open behind them. They both jumped and Abby fell to the floor. Oded yelped in pain as his injured shoulder pulled and he fell back to the bed with a thud. The morning nurse laughed at the site. "Well, I see you are both awake." Abby stood upright, smoothing her hair back and readjusting her shirt, not making eye contact with the nurse. "Let's see how you are doing this morning." The nurse pulled his chart to check him. His pulse was racing and his blood pressure was high. The nurse looked at him knowingly. "I think I shall recheck your vitals in a while, after you've had a chance to more fully wake up and eat some breakfast. I believe the doctor will be by to discharge you in a bit. You will have lots of people in and out of here in the next few hours." She shot them both looks of caution, to make sure they understood her meaning, and they both nodded like well-behaved children at the second admonition they had now been given. As she left and the door clicked closed, Oded began to laugh. Abby glared at him in embarrassment and slapped his good shoulder. "Oww," he complained, "be gentle with me, I'm injured." his laughter still giving him away. She couldn't help but now giggle at the near miss. "Guess we'll have to wait until we get home, that's twice we've been interrupted," he paused then groaned. "What do I have to do to get a little privacy around here?" he winked at her as he gave her a look she couldn't miss. She blushed. "I've missed you," he told her, his voice warm and deep. "I've missed you too," she answered him. Then silence fell over them as they studied one another. Now that the moment was broken and they were both fully awake, the unspoken issues in the air hung heavy between them. She tried to break the mood. She pulled over his breakfast for him. "Here, you eat. I'm going down to the cafeteria to get something for myself. I'll be back." She skedadelled before he could say anything more. She needed some distance for a little while to let all of these feelings start to sort themselves out. She sat in the cafeteria a little dazed. He had accepted her with no question, after all that she had done to him and she didn't know how to understand that. She knew they had to eventually talk about it. She sighed dreading the conversation. When she returned she found a number of people in his room and she hung back near the door not sure what she should do. Cheryl caught her eye and came over. "So?" she asked. "So what?" Abby answered, teasing her, knowing what she was asking. "Come on," Cheryl prodded, "you guys okay?" Abby couldn't keep the smile from her lips. "Yes." she nodded. Cheryl smiled in return. Then they heard Oded call Abby's name. She worked her way through the group of people to be by his side. The doctor was filling out the discharge papers and the general commotion seemed to be about who was going to take him home. They looked at one another. It was clear Oded wanted Abby to take him home, but the big wigs from the show wouldn't have it. Abby agreed to meet him at his place. She kissed him lightly goodbye, not sure who everyone in the room was and didn't want to make a scene. But Oded had wrapped his arm around her hips and as she began to step away he pulled her closer for a longer kiss. She stood up her cheeks again pink as she heard general snickers from the group around them at the obvious display of affection. The first intentional display they had ever shared. Abby went home to shower and change. Now that she was alone she found her heartbeat alternating between a rapid flurry and a peaceful calm as her mind continued to fluctuate between fear of the talk they needed to have and the bliss of knowing he wanted to try again and was willing to forgive her. She stood in front of her closet, her towel wrapped around her debating about what to wear. Finally opting for faded jeans knowing how much he admired them on her, and a simple blue sweater. She finished her hair, pulling it up off her neck with a clip. She felt her nervousness return now that they were back on home ground, the memories of how she hurt him even more intense. She wanted him to remember the best memories of them together not the worst. She crushed the last of the Orchids, which she had saved from over a week ago, making a perfume for him, hoping he would recognize it. She watched the parade of cars at Oded's place from her window. It didn't take long for Oded to send Cheryl over to collect Abby. She met Cheryl at the door. "He wants to know when you are coming over," Cheryl told her, an exasperated look on her face. "Does he want me to come now? It seems he has a house full of visitors." She was uncomfortable with the idea of being around all of these people she didn't know. Especially while she and Oded were trying to test the waters with one another again. She would rather not do it in front of an audience. "Oh, I don't think he ever wanted you to leave his side. I'd say the sooner you come over the better." Cheryl chuckled. "He's rather adamant about it." Abby laughed. She really was astonished that he had taken her back with such open warmth. "I'll be right over," she told Cheryl trying to set aside her own fear. If this was what he wanted, she wouldn't disappoint him. Yesterday she had feared his response at seeing her. He was so passionate in his affection; she had thought certainly he would be just as passionate about his anger. She had believed that if he took her back at all, that they would have to rekindle this relationship more slowly, let time heal the wounds that had been inflicted. But from what she could tell he was acting like the last two weeks had never happened. She had naively believed she understood him, herself, them. She realized now that there was so much about Oded she didn't know, about what he felt and thought. She smiled to herself as she headed over to his place, nervously happy that he had given her a second chance. She didn't want to blow it. He seemed more than willing to accept her with no guardedness, no insecurity, no fear that she would turn around and do it again. He had generously given her his heart for a second time, and this time she would be more careful with it, she told herself. She had learned a lesson in these past two weeks, and she wouldn't forget it. She would never take him for granted or question his feelings for her again. ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ Neighbors - Chapter 34 continued |