by Donna Raider
Mika studied the two. They were both processed in color. The old scan showed much more activity than the one today. The old one looked as if every neuron in Emily’s brain was firing at the same time. The new scan was much more normal. It looked peaceful compared to the older scan.
“Everything looks great,” Dr. Strand informed them. “If anything, the new scan is much closer to normal than the old one. I feel safe in saying that Emily’s brain is in better condition today than it was four years ago.”
“How long does she have to stay in the hospital?” Samson asked.
“We will observe her tonight and probably send her home around noon tomorrow. We’ll try to beat this storm coming in.”
“Delilah and I will take turns sitting with her,” Samson turned to Mika. “Take your family home. I know you must be exhausted.”
As they entered the room, a groggy Emily greeted them. “So, am I going to live?” she scowled. “I don’t know what Strand gave me, but I feel better than I’ve felt in years.”
“Just get some rest, sweetheart,” Delilah patted her daughter’s hand. “You can go home tomorrow.”
“Leah,” Emily called to the dark-haired beauty, “Why don’t you stay with me tonight? I’d like that.”
Leah studied Emily for a few seconds. “I have to go home with my family,” she smiled sweetly. “We’ll be back in the morning.”
“Sure. I understand,” Emily gave her a weak smile. “See you tomorrow.”
Leah took Mika’s hand and put her hand on Richie’s shoulder. Instantly they were in the kitchen of their home.
“Yes,” Richie grinned. He had been worried about getting home in the approaching weather. “May I play video games, Mom?”
“Of course, sweetheart,” Leah nodded.
Mika started the coffee. “Why don’t you take a shower and I’ll fix dinner.” She kissed her wife gently.
“I won’t be long,” Leah whispered as she pulled from Mika’s arms.
Dinner was filled with laughter and Leah describing all the things they had done in New York. Richie listened attentively then asked if they could stay a few days after the concert so he could experience the same things his mother had.
“Of course, you can, sweetheart,” Leah smiled her wonderful smile that always bathed him in warmth.
“Let’s clean up the kitchen and your mom can select a movie for tonight,” Mika suggested, as she gathered plates from the table.
“Pick something good, Mom, like Percy Jackson.” Richie hugged her quickly then followed the priest to clean the kitchen.
##
They all settled on the sofa to watch the latest Percy Jackson adventure. Mika put her arm around her wife, and Leah leaned contentedly against her. Leah’s head rested on Mika’s shoulder. She fell asleep fifteen minutes into the movie.
Mika and Richie quietly rooted for the hero and heroine, discussing the premise of the movie. When the movie finished, Richie kissed his mother’s forehead and winked at Mika before heading for his shower. Mika easily picked up Leah and carried her to their bedroom. She was able to put her to bed without waking her. Mika turned out the lamp on Leah’s bedside table, kissed Leah’s lips very softly then she stepped into a nice hot shower.
Leah was still sleeping when Mika entered their bedroom. Mika slipped into bed and turned out the lamp. Leah snuggled against her as if drawn to her. Mika put her arms around Leah and held her.
Leah moved, so she was resting her head on Mika’s shoulder. Her soft breath gently danced a rhythm on Mika’s breast. “Thank you for New York,” Leah said softly.
“Thank you. That city is so different when shared with you. I enjoyed it more than ever before,” Mika kissed the top of her head.
“I’m sorry we had to return home to all the drama,” Leah sighed deeply. “Do you think our lives will ever be…” she searched for the right word, “…normal?”
“I hope not,” Mika chuckled “I think you would quickly become bored with normal.”
“You’ve lived so long,” Leah raised up on her elbow to look into Mika’s eyes shining in the moonlight. “Have you ever gotten bored?”
“No,” she said honestly. “There has always been some evil to confront, someone to help, some battle to fight or something to learn. Until I found you, I was terribly lonely. The hunger, the craving I had for you is inexplicable. I knew you were out there somewhere. I just didn’t know where.”
“I never knew someone like you existed,” Leah said softly. With Richie in the house, both were whispering their words of love.
As they both swept toward the pinnacle of their passion, Leah threw her head back, arching to meet Mika.
Mika gasped, “Richie’s in the house.”
Leah moaned loudly then buried her face in Mika’s chest as the angel’s name escaped her lips over and over. Mika knew it was just a matter of seconds until Leah screamed out. “Bite my shoulder,” Mika whispered.
Leah’s teeth sank into Mika as she muffled the scream that came from deep within her. She frantically kissed Mika, using her mouth to suppress another cry that ripped from her throat.
Mika hovered over her, whispering her name into her hair, pressing herself close to Leah, but holding her weight off her. Still clutching Leah to her, she shifted their positions and moved Leah on top of her. With one last cry into Mika’s breasts, Leah collapsed onto her. Mika stroked her hair and her back until Leah’s soft breathing told her she was asleep.
##
The storm wasn’t as bad as they had feared. Although temperatures dropped considerably, the storm kicked out at Rhode Island and headed into the Atlantic. Mika and the church staff decided to host a Thanksgiving dinner for the parish in the church hall. The mayor and the priest provided the turkey and dressing while church members brought their favorite dishes. Everyone agreed it was one of the best feasts they’d ever had. The town folks were still talking about the YouTube videos of the band’s performance and the impromptu duet by the mayor and priest.
Leah had decorated the Town Hall meeting space for a Thanksgiving dance. Always the gracious hostess, she had heavy hors d'oeuvres and beverages for everyone. The band had been pressed into action and played requests from the partyers. Everyone moved across the street to continue Thanksgiving.
Richie and the band started playing When a Woman Loves a Woman as soon as the couple had joined the Samson’s at their table. “I believe this is our song, darling,” Leah whispered to her wife. Mika nodded and led her to the dance floor. Mika would never grow tired of holding her in her arms, and Leah would never tire of being there.
As the dance ended, they returned to their table. “Darling, be an angel, and get me something to drink,” Leah winked and smiled mischievously at her. Mika would have brought her the world on a platter for that smile. A slight blush moved up her neck to the top of her head. ‘Be an angel,' she is very flirty tonight. Mika thought.
Mika turned and ran into the sheriff. “You are so whipped,” Emily sneered.
Mika frowned. She had no idea what Emily was talking about and was sure she didn’t want to know. She returned to her seat next to her wife and sat her drink down in front of her.
As the night progressed, so did the wine and apple cider. Ruth was feeling no pain when she asked Leah if she could dance with Mika.
“No,” was the immediate reply.
“Oh, come on Leah,” Ruth whined, “Mika’s such a great dancer, and it’s not like I have a lot from which to choose. Most of the men here are shorter than me and have two left feet.”
“That is true,” Amber chimed in. “You’re the only one with a decent dance partner. No offense, Samson.”
“None was taken,” Samson grinned, happy that he didn’t have to dance with anyone but Delilah. Honestly, neither he nor his wife danced very well.
“I feel like a prize at auction,” the priest laughed. “Truth is I don’t want to dance with anyone but my wife. No offense ladies.”
Ignoring Mika, R
uth continued to beg her wife. “Please, please, Leah. Just one dance.”
“Oh, okay, but just one dance and only you,” the mayor laughed.
“Honey,” Mika whined to her wife, doing her best impression of Richie.
“Come on, Priest,” Ruth squealed. “Do you have any idea how long it’s been since I’ve danced with a decent dancer.”
As the priest walked by the sheriff on her way to the dance floor, Emily leaned into her and said, “Yeah, you are so whipped.”
Ruth caught Mika’s hand, and they began dancing to a fast dance that gave them both the opportunity to show off their dancing skills. Ruth laughed loudly as the priest twirled her around and caught her.
The next song slowed down to give the dancers a chance to catch their breaths. Ruth started back to the table, but the priest caught her hand and pulled her back to the dance floor. She wanted to talk to her. “Um, Ruth, I need to ask you something, and I’m not sure where to start except just to say it.”
Ruth moved into Mika’s arms, gliding easily around the dance floor with her. “You dance divinely,” she praised Mika. “So, ask me.”
“Since our return from New York, every time the sheriff gets close to me, she says ‘You are so whipped.’ I can tell by the way she says it; it’s not a good thing, but I don’t know what she means.”
Ruth laughed aloud and blushed, something she rarely did. “Oh Priest,” she giggled, “have you asked Leah?”
“No. You know how Leah can be. She gets so upset when Emily is involved. I’d rather not upset her.”
“Emily deserves it,” Ruth frowned. “Oh, gosh. I can’t answer this question. You’ll have to ask Leah.”
“It isn’t good, is it?” Mika scowled.
“I’m sure the sheriff means it as an insult to you,” Ruth grinned, “but really, she would give her right arm to be in your place.”
Ruth leaned her head on Mika’s shoulder and wondered how she could be so innocent. I guess a religious life is a very sheltered one, she thought.
As if conspiring to get Mika killed, the band went straight to another slow dance. Ruth made no move to extract herself from the blonde’s arms, so she continued to dance with her without giving much thought to it.
As Leah stood from the table, bets were already being placed as to whether Mika or Ruth would pay the price for dancing three consecutive dances.
“What part of ‘just one dance’ did you not understand, Ruth?” Leah hissed in her ear.
“It’s my fault, honey,” Mika said softly, “I was asking Ruth’s advice on something.”
Ruth backed away from the priest as Leah slid into her arms. When she reached their table, Ruth said something, and the entire table laughed uproariously. Samson seemed to get a big kick out of their conversation.
“I was watching you,” Leah pouted. “You made her laugh. I don’t know what you said that made her blush, but I believe that is the first time I have ever seen Ruth blush. The two of you dance beautifully together. You didn’t have to dance three dances.”
Mika knew she was working herself into Jealous Leah and tried to head it off. “Honey, Emily keeps saying something to me and I’m certain it is meant to be insulting, but I don’t know what it means. I asked Ruth because I didn’t want to upset you. I’m sure Ruth just told everyone what I said. Our whole table is laughing at me.”
“What in the world did you say to her?” Leah asked, irritation creeping into her voice.
“I didn’t want to ask you because sometimes you just twist off about Emily.”
“Twist off,” Leah’s voice climbed about two octaves. “What did Emily say to you?”
“Every time she gets close enough, Emily says ‘You are so whipped.’ She says it every chance she gets.” Mika wished she had kept her mouth shut.
Leah chuckled that low, sultry laugh that always made Mika want to take off her collar and unbutton the top three buttons on her shirt so she could breathe. Then Leah put her lips against Mika’s ear and explained what Emily meant.
“Seriously,” she gasped in disbelief. “Seriously!”
Leah nodded her head, a devilish smile on her face. The band announced they were taking a break and Mika steered her wife back to their table where everyone was still chuckling at what Emily was doing to her.
This time, Emily didn’t even try to conceal what she was saying to Mika. “You are so whipped,” she said loudly, intending to embarrass her further.
The priest smiled her biggest smile and said, “Every night, Sheriff, every night.”
“Mika,” Leah playfully slapped her arm, blushing and giggling at the same time.
Emily looked like a fish out of the water. Her lips kept flapping, but no sound came out.
Everyone at the table laughed and began teasing Mika good-naturedly.
“Man, we missed you when you were in New York,” Samson slapped her on the back. “Do you have any idea how dull this town is without you two?”
##
Saturday morning after Thanksgiving, Mika woke to find her wife in full pajamas. She was leaning against the headboard, reading a celebrity magazine. Mika groaned as she put her arm around Leah’s waist. She knew she was going to have to suck it up and do without her for three or four days. She was just so addictive.
“Did you tell Richie you would take him skating today?” Leah leaned down and kissed her lovingly.
“Um, I did,” she hummed. “Want to join us?”
“I would love to, but I don’t feel too great right now. You know.”
Mika nodded understandingly.
“If it’s okay with you, I think I’ll just stay in this nice warm bed and rest for a while. Perhaps I can join you later.”
“Richie and I will have breakfast at the diner then go to the ice rink.” Mika reluctantly slipped out of the warm bed and pulled on her jeans and a sweatshirt.
“You know that your son and Amber have entered the doubles skating in Brighton,” Leah looked up at her.
“It’s fine, honey. Amber is just helping him through those awkward teenage years. I promise you she isn’t a pedophile. She is the best older woman in town for him to have a crush on. She will let him down easily.” Mika liked the way Leah had said your son. It pleased her. “I think he will lean more toward a brunette. He told me he wanted a wife just like his mom.”
“Really,” Leah smiled, finding it difficult to hide her joy that her son would love her enough to want a wife like her.
“What did you say?” she asked shyly.
“I told him to be prepared to be whipped for the rest of his life,” Mika teased.
“No! You didn’t,” Leah cried, throwing the magazine at her wife.
“Of course, not,” Mika laughed. “I told him he would be the luckiest man in the world to have a wife like you.”
Mika picked up the magazine. “Since when have you started reading such intellectual materials,” she grinned, pitching the publication to Leah.
“Kathryn left this on my desk Friday with a note that said I might find it interesting. So far, she is wrong. It is very shallow and filled with inaccurate information.
She looked down at where the magazine had fallen open on the bed beside her. “Oh! No,” her eyes widened in disbelief. “Mika, look!”
A large headline read, Does Anyone Know This Woman?
Beneath the headline was a photo of Leah reaching up to kiss Mika at the Augusta concert. Beneath that picture was a photo of her and Mika performing at the super club in New York. Both pictures of them were spectacular. The lighting was unbelievable.
“The paparazzo that took these is a heck of a photographer,” the priest frowned. “You’re beautiful. I can see why they are looking for you.”
Leah quickly read the article with the photos. “Darling, how do we stop this?” she exclaimed. “The last thing we need is our town overrun with these people.”
“Marcus Devon is the only one who knows who you are,” Mika mused. “He desperately wants to s
ign us to contracts, so I don’t think he’ll share that information with anyone.”
“He’s supposed to be here Monday to finalize the arrangements for the New York concerts.” Leah looked perplexed. “I’ll be glad when this is all over.”
“Mika,” Richie yelled from the other side of the house. He had learned to give his parents warning he was approaching their bedroom. It saved a lot of embarrassment for everyone.
Mika opened the door, “In here, son.”
Richie was pleased to see his parents fully dressed. “Your mom is a little tired, so it’s just going to be you and me.” Mika pulled on her snow boots and scooped up her ice skates.
“Breakfast at the diner,” Richie grinned as he kissed his mother’s cheek.
Before they left the house, Mika put on a teapot of water and waited to make a cup of hot chocolate for her wife.
“Amber is meeting us so you can give us some instructions on how to win the contest,” Richie said. “May I call her and ask her to join us for breakfast?”
“Sure,” Mika nodded. “I’m going to run this up to your mom. Be right back.”
“I thought a cup of something hot might help ease your stomach,” the priest said as she entered the bedroom. She placed the cup on Leah’s bedside table and leaned down for a kiss. Leah reached behind her neck and pulled Mika’s lips securely against hers. Moving her lips gently as if massaging Mika’s lips, she entered her mouth, wrestling with her tongue.
“Chocolate,” Mika mumbled against her lips.
Leah looked questioningly at her. “Our old safe word,” Mika reminded her. She smiled and kissed Mika again, chastely.
##
Leah relaxed enjoying her hot chocolate and contemplating dinner preparations.
She reached for her phone and dialed her wife. She suddenly had a tremendous need to touch her.
“Hello,” Richie’s voice answered Mika’s phone. “Hello, dear. Why are you answering Mika’s phone?”
“Oh, she’s skating with Amber,” her son answered innocently. She hung up before Richie had a chance to tell her Mika was showing them a new subroutine that would assure their win over Brighton.