Sleep: Chapter Five

Jill woke beside Chris. They had reached the hotel late and, after unpacking their suitcases, had gone to bed. She had fallen asleep cuddled against him, so she found it odd how she was now. She had her back to him and he had one arm extended to reach her waist, though his body was about a foot away. She guessed that, no longer being used to sharing a bed, she had turned away in her sleep.

She rolled over to face him. He felt the movement and opened his eyes. "Morning." She moved closer to him and he kissed her.

"G'morning," she murmured. She closed her eyes and pressed her forhead against his chest.

"What do we want to do first today?" he asked groggily.

She shrugged. "Be lazy." She still felt tired. Not to mention emotionally drained from the past few days.

"A day in?" She nodded. "Okay. We can stay in bed and watch TV all day."

"That sounds nice..." Without thinking, she kissed him. It was almost hesitant but completely loving. When they parted, Chris smiled and pushed the hair back out of her face.

"I love you, Jill," he murmured. She nuzzled against his neck and whispered her reply timidly. He ran a hand down her back. "What do you want to watch?"

She shrugged. "Just put it on a movie." She made him sit up and propped some pillows up behind them. She rested her head on his shoulder as they sat back. He grabbed the remote and flipped on the TV. It was set up a few feet from the end of the bed, as most hotel suites had. He put it on AMC, which was playing some different movies from the 90s. Currently, it was Better Off Dead. Not the best movie, but not the worst. Perfect for a lazy day.

Jill snuggled against Chris. They chatted quietly. She avoided topics like work and focused on him. "How're your stiches?" She gently placed a hand over where his bandages were. While he had been released from the hospital, he still needed maintenance on his injuries. "I should change the bandages."

"Jill, you don't need to..." He tried to stop her, but she pulled his shirt up to see. He had twenty-eight stiches that went up his side furthest from her.

"C'mon... We've got to make sure you heal right if we're ever going to do anything more in bed than kissing or cuddling." His eyes widened at her statement. She blushed horribly, realizing what she had said without thinking. "Well, it's true," she mumbled, not meeting his eyes. She made him roll onto his uninjured side. Her nimble fingers were quick to remove the old bandage, exposing the stiches in his skin. She had taken a few medical training courses for work and could tell they could be taken out in only a few days. "Let that air while I get one of the first aid kits out of my suitcase." He nodded and watched as she slipped from bed to get her suitcase out of the closet. He felt lucky to have her. She returned with the kit in hand. He gritted his teeth as she wiped the edges with disinfectant. "Sorry..." she mumbled. When she was finished, she tugged his shirt back down. "There."

He thanked her and sat up to hug her. She slipped her arms around him, surprisingly comfortable to fall into the routine. She stretched up and kissed him. He accepted it immediately. She ran her tongue over his lower lip, begging for entrance. He let himself be pulled into a deeper kiss. They fell back on the bed, but his hands never strayed from their place on her waist. He wanted her to be the one to make the first move when she was ready. Besides, as she had mentioned earlier, he'd have to wait until after his stiches out.

She tangled her fingers in his hair, the other hand caressing his cheek. Eventually, she pulled away and rested against him.

"We should go to the beach..." she spoke.