Sound Effects and Overdramatics

The hospital cafeteria wasn’t my idea of dinner, but I wasn’t going to ask Beth to leave Ali without female support, so we held hands to the elevator and she leaned against me, her eyelashes fluttering against her cheeks as she fought sleep.

In the elevator, she slinked her arms around my waist, slipping her hands under my shirt and putting them on the small of my back. I locked my arms around her neck and leaned down to kiss her.

The only reason I dared to was because the elevator held two nurses and a man holding a Get Well balloon and teddy bear from the gift shop. If we had been alone, I wouldn’t have attempted it. I knew I wouldn’t be able to stop myself at only a chaste kiss.

The rest of the ride, she rested her face against my chest. I kissed the top of her head, content to just be holding her after so much time apart.

“You get the food, I’ll get the coffee.” She instructed. I nodded and went for a tray, keeping an eye on her as I loaded up with a cheeseburger and fries and a boxed salad for her. We met up at a table in the middle and she slid a large Starbucks cup to me,

“I thought Ali had a couple more weeks?” I began as I squirted ketchup onto my burger.

She nodded as she drank, desperate for an extra boost. “She was due next week, but babies tend to come when they want.”

“You were coming anyway, though?”

Again, she nodded as she gulped down her drink. Finally, she set it down with a gasp and opened her salad. “Christian flew to London to pick up me and Kai. We were supposed to be making sure everything was ready for the big day so that Ali didn’t have to worry about anything. That’s why I said I was going to call you tomorrow and tell you I was here.”

I tensed at Kai’s name and gave a non-committal grunt of acknowledgement. I finished assembling my burger and took a bite before answering. “How’s Christian holding up?”

“He’s freaking out, but excited.” She said it with a smile. I watched her stab at her meal, glad that she was eating. She’d mentioned not feeling well and not having an appetite, but she never stopped drinking coffee. She was a powerhouse but she looked like she was on the verge of fizzling out.

"How are you?" I asked. She stabbed some salad onto her fork, ate it, and scraped the plastic against her teeth. Her eyes were now more focused on her food than me.

"I'm fine." She muttered.

“How are you really?” I asked again. She put her fork down and pushed her salad away, no longer hungry or interested in eating.

“I’m taking some time off work. I’m gonna look for a new job when I get back.”

“Why not look for a job here?”

She pinned me with a stare. “You know why.”

I wasn’t hungry anymore, either. I put her salad back on the tray and stood to throw everything into the trash. She followed me out of the cafeteria and back into the elevator.

This time, we were alone.

I grabbed her around the waist and pulled her to me, my mouth closing over hers perfectly. She gave into the kiss, cupping my face and kneading my shirt with her fingers. I felt her open her mouth and slipped my tongue inside and she moaned.

Fuck.

I backed her against the wall and pinned her hands near her sides while I kissed her neck, sucking on all the soft spots before clamping down on the top of her shoulder, through her shirt. She whimpered and I felt her knees buckle, causing her to collapse against me.

Too soon, the doors slid open. We broke apart and I let her go ahead of me, her face completely red as we passed by a group of people led by a doctor.

“Beth,” I stopped her before she opened the door to Ali’s room. She turned, her face completely blank.

“Are we okay?”

She smiled and kissed me. “We’re good.”

“Do you wanna come back with me?”

She chewed on her lip, thinking. After several agonizingly long seconds, she nodded. “Just let me tell them."

I could barely hold in my excitement and relief. I watched her through the window as she talked to Ali and Christian and gave them both a hug. She crossed the room and I moved to the side to watch her give Kai a hug and a kiss on the cheek.

I huffed.

I didn't care how many times either of them told me they weren't sleeping together anymore. I still didn't like him. He lived with her. He got to see her every day, spend time with her...I could be man enough to admit I was jealous, but I did my best to keep it under control.

A minute later, she came back out and looped her arm through mine, bringing her hand up to stifle a yawn.

The ride back to my place was quiet, but comfortably so. Beth rested against my arm as I drove, not even bothering to light a cigarette.

I had to carry her into the house, she'd fallen asleep that fast.

Zacky was sitting on the couch waiting when I walked in the door. He stood and followed me up the stairs, just in case I needed help with her, or lost my balance.

As soon as I had her laying on my bed, she tugged my pillow under her head and chest and breathed deep, instantly relaxing. Her breathing deepened and only when I was sure she would stay asleep did I put a blanket on top of her and follow Zack back downstairs.

"When does she head back?" He asked around the filter of his cigarette. I headed to the kitchen and pulled a beer from the fridge.

"She said she was taking some time off. I guess she's gonna stay for a few days to help Ali get settled in with the baby."

"And then what?"

I shrugged. I didn't have an answer. I wanted her to stay but I couldn't force her. Something was going on that she didn't want to talk to me about, something more than just quitting her job.

"Then we'll see."

"I know you love her, but is it really worth it?"

"I don't know." I admitted. I tilted the bottle up and kept drinking until it was empty.

It wasn't even nine, but it felt much later. I'd spent the last three weeks wishing Beth was here, wanting to just hold her, to breathe her in and feel the sense of calmness she brought. I didn't want to push her and I didn't want to spoil her visit. Phone calls were nice, but a relationship needed more.

A scream brought me back to reality. I dropped the beer bottle and raced upstairs, bursting through my bedroom door, completely panicked.

Beth was sitting up in bed, looking around, absolutely terrified.

"It's okay. You're here with me. You're safe." I assured her. I sat next to her and out my hands on her shoulders. She completely collapsed into my chest and started sobbing.

After a few minutes, she calmed down enough to pull away and steady her breathing. Zack had lingered in the doorway but I waved him off, sure that Beth didn't want anyone to see her breakdown. I offered her a cigarette and she took it, but couldn't steady her hands to light it.

"You said they stopped."

"Different nightmare. Did Ali call?"

I looked at her and brushed her hair back, keeping my hand on her face. "You've only been asleep for half an hour."

I couldn't place the look on her face. Not necessarily lost, but definitely disoriented.

She set her cigarette in my ashtray and kissed me, maneuvering herself so that she was straddling me. I kept my hands on her waist, kissing her back, but hesitant.

"Beth," I mumbled when she moved her lips to my neck. I didn't want her to stop but I didn't want to get into territory we wouldn't be able to come back from.

"Baby," I tried again, leaning back to pull away. She looked at me, twisting her fingers into the collar of my shirt.

"What's wrong?"

"I just want to make sure this is what you want to do."

In reply, she kissed me again. She pushed me backwards to lay on the bed and took her shirt off before leaning down to kiss me some more.

I was powerless to stop her and jerked when I felt her mouth around my cock. I hadn't even realized she was undoing my pants, but I wasn't complaining. I groaned and ran my hand through her hair, unable to do anything else but enjoy what was happening.