When We Stand Together

Shaving off Jeremy's hair had made him look sicker and when Valerie saw him, she burst into tears. The skinhead haircut really highlighted the gauntness in his face and the dark circles around his eyes and the reality of how sick he actually is hits you like a brick wall.

You are doing the dishes when you feel a pair of arms sneak around your waist and a stubbled cheek against your own.

"Are you coming to bed?" He asks softly."It's getting late and mom's asleep on the sofa. I don't have the heart to wake her"

"Yes, I'll be there in a second. I'm glad we talked her out of staying at a hotel. I just hope she isn't sore tomorrow"

"She will be fine, mama. She loves your sofa"

"Our sofa" You correct him and you feel him smile.

"Once I'm better we can start looking for a place of our own if you still want to"

"That sounds like a great idea" You say, turning around in his arms and you run your fingers over his scalp"I like it like this"

Jeremy chuckles and presses his body against yours, still smiling and his eyes are shiny and twinkling like stars.

"Everyone likes my hair like this"

"All that's missing is the clover tattoos and the gold chains" You reply with a giggle."If the fan girls could see you now they would go crazy for you, but then again they always do"

"I only care about one girl who goes crazy over me and that's you, mama"

"I've always been crazy about you" You say, cupping his face in your hands and kissing him softly.

"I can tell"

You slap his shoulder playfully as he deepens the kiss, sliding his tongue into your mouth and you can taste mint toothpaste and the faint hint of cigarettes. You and Jeremy are quite happily losing yourselves in one another when the sound of Valerie clearing her throat in the doorway makes you separate like two teenagers being caught together for the first time.

He winks at you before moving away, an awkwardness settling between everyone.

"I'm not interrupting anything, am I?" Valerie asks with a warm, cheeky smile."Because I can take a walk If you need some time together"

"No, you're fine" You say."Coffee?"

"I would love some" She replies.

Jeremy grabs a snicker bar from the cupboard and unwraps it, leaning against the counter.

"Jer?" You say, asking him if he wants some coffee.

"No, I'm going to go take a bath or something."

You watch him as he stretches and groans, rubbing his back. As Valerie grabs the carton of milk from the fridge, you hug him tight and press a kiss to his cheek.

"Are you sure you don't want me to go with you?" You lower your voice to a whisper."I don't want your mom getting upset when she sees how sick you get after the treatment"

"Mom knows how I get"

You look at him with confusion growing in your eyes and you wrap your arms around his waist.

"I was checking my emails one night and she saw that I was online and she skyped me. I had just had a dose of therapy"

"How did she react?" You ask.

"Well, she started crying. But she was okay. She wanted to come out straight away, but I managed to convince her to stay at home"

"She's just worried about you" You say and press your head against Jeremy's chest, breathing in his scent of aftershave, soap and cigarettes.

Despite being so ill most of the time, he always made the effort to be presentable and well groomed, but sometimes he did go the odd day without a shave, but it's not like his occasional heavy growth bothered you.

"I know, mama." He kisses your head and wraps his arms tighter around you, pulling you against him."Why don't we go on vacation and spend some real time together?"

"I like the sound of that" You say, smiling up into his eyes that have gone a shade of coral blue."But once you're better."

"Okay. I've got the perfect place in mind"

"And where is this perfect place?" You ask, smiling and inching your lips closer to his, his lips brushing against yours.

"Somewhere hot and tropical with crystal clear water and white sands" He says in a luxurious, lust filled tone, emphasising the visual fantasy."We'll drink cocktails by the pool and eat seafood on the beach. And then we'll go upstairs and we'll make love by the moonlight and I'll hold you, love you and never let go"

You feel Jeremy's lips against yours, soft and warm. Kissing you with such a gentleness as his hands cup your face, his thumbs softly brushing your skin and you don't want this to end, not now and not ever. Eventually, you both break away from the kiss, breathless and smiling.

"That sounds like paradise" You say with a smile.

"Our paradise"

You wrap your arms around Jeremy's neck as he kisses you softly, whispering I love you's against your lips and you return them generously, running your nails up the back of his neck giving him goosebumps. You can feel them under your fingertips and the presence of a third person in the room draws you away.

"Don't mind me" Valerie says as she grabs her handbag, fishing around for her reading glasses. "Oh, I feel terrible for breaking you two apart, but Susie, you have your appointment to go to and Jeremy, you need to get ready to go to the hospital"

Jeremy winks at you and pecks you quickly on the lips and you watch him as he disappears into the sitting room.

"He's so lucky to have you, you know" Valerie says from behind you and rests her hand on your shoulder.

"I'm lucky to have him. You always did tell me that my special someone would be out there somewhere and you were right. I just didn't realise it would be Jeremy"

"Love works in mysterious ways, Susie. You should know by now that I'm always right and I've never led you astray. Come on, get ready because you are not missing your appointment" She says as she checks the time on the slender gold wristwatch.

"Okay, but are you sure you want to take Jeremy to the hospital?"

"Yes!" Valerie scolds you."Now, get upstairs. Go on"

*****

A pair of hands massage oils into your shoulders and you let out a soft sigh, suddenly feeling your worries and concerns melt away. The perfumed oils scent the air and the hands that are massaging your muscles force another sigh from your lips and you do as Jeremy told you before you left, enjoy being pampered. After your massage, you spend some time in the steam room and then you go for a leisurely swim, feeling totally and completely refreshed mentally and physically. You feel like a brand new person and nothing can destroy the natural high you are feeling right now.

***

Jeremy is asleep on the sofa when you arrive home and you do your very best not to wake him. He's lying on his back with his forearm covering his face, his other hand draped across his stomach and you watch him for a few minutes before heading into the kitchen where Valerie is sitting at the table, nursing a cup of tea.

"Val?"

"Hi, you look like a brand new woman. Did you have a nice time?"
She asks with a smile, but you can see the pained look in her eyes.

"It was great. How's Jeremy?"

"He's been sick a lot" She replies with a groan."They've booked him in for tests next week to see if the treatment's helping."

"Oh God" You groan in a whisper.

"He's going to be alright, Susie."

"I keep trying to tell myself that, but what if.....what if he's not?"

"He's going to be fine" Valerie says reassuringly and she sounds convinced as she pulls you into a hug."He's going to be fine"