Hibiscus

by Sarah Pond

  'Do you think you'll contact them?'

  'Yes, I think so. It's sweet of them to be so concerned. They live quite near. Do you remember the coastal walk to Mount Edgcumbe? We walked past a fort on the coast. They live there.'

  Rachel was a bit confused, 'In a fort?'

  'It was converted into flats some years ago now. They've given me their phone number. I'll give them a call, but I'll wait until my plaster's off before I visit, I think. Will you come with me?'

  'Of course I will. I told Tom and Lisa that I'd be staying a while longer, until you're properly back on your feet.'

  Lea wanted to ask what would happen then, but another part of her didn't want to know. She loved having Rachel live with her, and the longer the better. This would have to be a discussion for another day, she thought. Rachel had only just got back from London, and she wanted to enjoy the moment.

  It was Mrs Anderson who answered the phone. She was delighted to hear from Lea, and pleased that she was recovering well. She apologised to Lea, who told her not to worry about it. 'I wasn't looking, there's nothing you could have done.'

  After chatting for a while, Lea promised to call back when her plaster had been removed, and said that she would visit with Rachel.

  A few days later, Rachel took Lea for her check up. The consultant asked Rachel to wait outside, but Lea insisted that she accompany her. He was very pleased with Lea. Her body was healing well, and he said that there should be no lasting damage, looking at her results. He said that she had been very lucky. The headaches had worn off now, and she seemed to have fully regained her memory. The plaster on her leg would be taken off in a few days. As they left the hospital, Rachel said, 'Let's celebrate! I want to take you out to dinner tonight. If you'd like to, that is?'

  'Yes please, that will be lovely.'

  They went to the restaurant in Market Street. It was the first time that they had been out for dinner since Lea's accident. The staff all knew Lea, and were pleased to see how well she was doing. They were very well looked after, and enjoyed a very relaxed evening together.

  After dinner, Rachel and Lea walked over to the bench, and sat down to watch the sun setting. The view really was stunning, as the sky turned from pale to deep blue, with kisses of pinks and purples, which reflected in the water. As dusk fell, the rocks turned to black silhouettes against the darkening sea and sky. Lea said, 'It's good to be getting out more now. I really missed not being able to see the sea when I was in hospital.'

  Rachel's voice was so soft, it was almost a whisper, 'Sometimes you don't know how lucky you are to have something, until it's gone.' The way that Rachel looked at Lea pulled at her heartstrings. She knew how Rachel felt about nearly losing her. Before the accident, Lea thought that she had lost Rachel, too.

  Lea was leaving the hospital with Rachel, having had her plaster removed. Sue brought the car around to pick them up. Rachel asked, 'How does it feel?'

  'Really strange at the moment, like it's not quite my leg!'

  'We'll do a few exercises, I'll help you. Well, you can start getting back to normal, now.'

  Once they were back home, and Sue had left, Lea said, 'You know, it's been wonderful, you living with me.'

  Rachel smiled at her. 'Yes, it has been good. I really missed you when I was in London. Would you be up for coming back with me next time?'

  'I should think so.' Lea took a deep breath, and asked, 'I was wondering, what about longer term? I don't know how long this will work for, us travelling between both our places.' What she wanted to say was, Move in with me, please. I love you so much, I want to spend the rest of my life with you.

  Rachel had been so busy concentrating on looking after Lea now, that she hadn't really thought about the future. 'I don't know, it's a lot to think about. Let's just enjoy it as it is for now. At the moment, with Lisa taking on more work, I can work from here. I know it's not a long term solution, but it's working for now. Is that okay with you?'

  Lea decided that now wasn't the time to say any more. She leaned forward to kiss Rachel. 'All the time you're with me, it's great.'

  'Okay, I'm going to have a shower. I won't be long. Do you need anything before I go?'

  'No, thanks. I shall sit here and think about you in the shower!' She looked at Rachel with a very cheeky grin on her face, which made Rachel laugh.

  Having got undressed, Rachel turned on the shower, and stepped under the hot water. It was so much softer than the water in London, and it felt divine on her skin. She put some of Lea's coconut shampoo in her hand and massaged it into her hair. The smell reminded her of their first trip to the cove. She lathered up the shower gel, releasing the fresh ocean scent as she smoothed it over her skin. As she spread the lather over her body, she was aware of another pair of hands wrapping around her from behind. Lea ran her hands over Rachel's body, 'I've missed you so much.'

  Rachel turned around, and Lea pulled Rachel towards her, kissing her deeply, passionately. As she ran her hands all over Rachel, massaging her breasts, Rachel said, 'Are you sure about this?'

  'I'm not made of glass, you know. And I want you so badly, it's been too long.' Lea pressed her body up against Rachel's, the soapy bubbles running down her body. They kissed again, Lea running her hands over Rachel, and through her hair. As her fingers explored, Rachel groaned in response to Lea's touch. Yes, it had been a long time. Rachel reciprocated, causing Lea to writhe with pleasure. Lea had wanted this so desperately, that she ached with longing. For Rachel, after so much worry and tension, it felt so good to succumb to Lea. As Lea's fingers explored, Rachel let out noises of appreciation, which turned Lea on even more. She relished Lea's touch on her skin, and just like that first time at the cove, her orgasm exploded through her, setting off a chain reaction in Lea, who cried out with pleasure. They held each other close, breathing heavily, as the water cascaded over their bodies. They kissed again, and Rachel gave Lea a shy smile. Stepping out of the shower, Rachel grabbed a towel, and wrapped it around Lea. As Lea went to walk into the bedroom, her leg gave way, and she stumbled. Rachel caught her, and steadied her. 'Are you okay?' Her heart was beating fast.

  'Yes, I'm fine.'

  'I knew we shouldn't have-'

  Lea cut her off, 'I can't help it if you make me weak at the knees!'

  'Are you sure you're okay?' Lea could see the worry in Rachel's eyes.

  'Yes, it's just a muscle spasm. I just need to exercise my leg a bit more. Hey, don't worry.'

  Rachel sat Lea on the bed, and began massaging her leg. 'Ooh, that feels so good.'

  Lea lay back on the bed, enjoying the massage as she watched Rachel. Rachel was still naked, and as she looked up at Lea's hooded eyes, she said, 'I'll just go and get my bathrobe. Back in a mo.'

  As Rachel went into the bathroom, she paused, leaning against the wall. Seeing Lea stumble had really freaked her out. She knew that the consultant had given Lea the all clear, but she couldn't help thinking how fragile she was. She didn't want Lea to exert herself, at least until she was fully recovered. As she walked back into the bedroom, Lea said, 'I'm not going to break, you know.'

  Rachel looked at her, thinking she must be telepathic. 'I know.'

  Lea saw the worried expression on Rachel's face. 'Seriously, I'm fine. Come here,' and she patted the bed beside her.

  'I'm just going to get a glass of water, would you like anything?'

  'No, thanks.' Lea sighed, and flopped back onto the pillows.

  When Rachel came back upstairs, some time later, Lea had fallen asleep. Rachel pulled the covers over her, and closed the curtains. She sat on the bed gently, and stroked Lea's hair. It had grown longer over the last few weeks, and nearly reached her shoulders now. She watched Lea sleeping for a while, then went back downstairs to make herself a drink.

  Rachel was out when Sue popped in to see Lea later that week. They were having a cup of tea together, and Sue was asking how everything was. 'Good, thank you.'

  Sue knew Lea so well. She looked at her, raising
her eyebrows. 'But?'

  'I love having Rachel here, it's been wonderful. She's really taking care of me. She's being so sweet and gentle with me. It's just that, well, it's like I'm some sort of fragile ornament that may break at any minute. I've told her I'm fine, but she doesn't seem to believe me.'

  Sue smiled at Lea. 'You know, she had quite a shock when you had your accident. She was so scared that she might lose you, she was in such a state. She just needs a bit of time to adjust, that's all.'

  'Yes, I suppose so. I just want things to get back to normal.' Lea went to say something else, then hesitated. Sue asked her what she wanted to say. 'Well, I feel a bit awkward saying this.'

  'I've known you a long time, you can say anything you like.'

  'Well, we've always had a really good physical relationship. Our relationship is much more than that, but I'm really missing that part of it. My leg gave out the other day, and Rachel's treating me even more cautiously than ever.'

  'Talk to Rachel about it, she'll understand.'

  That evening, Lea was on the sofa with Rachel, and they were both reading. Lea put her book down, and started running her fingers up and down Rachel's leg. Then she moved closer to Rachel, and put her arm around her. She leaned in to kiss her neck, and Rachel didn't respond. Then Rachel asked, 'Would you like a drink?' and started to get up.

  'No, thanks. Rach, is something the matter?'

  'No. Why?' She didn't look at Lea.

  'Since the other day in the shower, it's like you're avoiding me. Well, avoiding intimacy. What's going on?'

  'Nothing. I just don't want you to exert yourself too much, that's all.' Lea could see that Rachel felt awkward.

  'I'm fine. More than fine, I'm great. And mostly thanks to you, looking after me. But I miss the intimacy.'

  'We're always intimate.'

  'You know what I mean. To put it bluntly, I'm really missing not having sex with you.'

  Rachel looked into Lea's eyes, those gorgeous blue eyes that shone like crystals, 'I don't want to do anything that might hurt you.'

  'Well, not having sex with me might hurt me, so I think we should remedy that here and now!'

  Rachel smiled, but Lea saw a sadness behind it. 'What is it?'

  'When I came to see you in hospital, I wanted to kiss you, but had to stop myself. I was so relieved when you woke up, but devastated when you didn't know who I was. I was careful not to say too much, I wanted you to remember on your own. I felt that I might be taking advantage of you otherwise. I didn't want you to be under any kind of pressure. I realised also that there was a possibility that you may not ever remember, and I would have to deal with that if it happened. I guess, as time has gone on, I haven't been quite able to shake that feeling. Like this is just temporary.'

  'Rach, you've got to stop doing this to yourself. We talked about this. I'm not going anywhere.'

  'Lea, I thought I'd lost you.' That feeling of overwhelm rushed in, like an unexpected wave in an otherwise still sea, and Rachel started to cry.

  Lea hugged her, 'Remember, you said you were going to live in the moment now. And in this moment, I want you so much.' Lea kissed Rachel, and Rachel kissed her back as though her life depended on it.

  Laying in bed one morning, Rachel said, 'You know we talked about you coming to London with me? I could do with spending a bit longer there this time. We've got the exhibition with your friends coming up. Also, I thought we could have dinner with my parents. I really want them to meet you.'

  'Yes, that would be good. It seems like a long time since I was in London.'

  Rachel hesitated for a moment, but she wanted to ask Lea something. 'Lea, do you ever see your parents?' Rachel felt Lea tense up. 'It's just that I was thinking we should have contacted them when you had your accident. Sue said she didn't know where they were.'

  Lea hesitated, before saying, 'I'll tell you what happened, then I don't want to talk about it again, okay?' Rachel nodded, looking concerned. Lea continued, 'When I was eighteen, my parents were talking about moving abroad. I was still living at home at that point. I said I'd rather stay here. I told them that I was also in a serious relationship. When I said that it was a woman, they didn't take the news well. Suffice it to say, they gave me a lump sum to buy my own place and have something to invest, then moved to Turkey. Apart from speaking to each other on our birthdays, that's about it.'

  Rachel was astounded. 'That's terrible. How could they do that?'

  'Some people can't handle anything if it doesn't fit into their world view.'

  'But they're your parents.'

  'It was a long time ago. I've got my cottage, the studio. I love my life. Sue has been like a mother to me, I'm very lucky.'

  Rachel looked at Lea lovingly, 'You really are an extraordinary person. I'm so lucky that I met you.'

  A look came over Lea's face that Rachel knew all so well, and she softly said, 'Well, you're about to get lucky again...' and she kissed Rachel, slowly running her hands down her body.

  CHAPTER TWELVE

  When Rachel and Lea arrived at Paddington, Rachel called a cab to take them to her flat. Taking their cases inside, Rachel told Lea to go and sit down while she put their things in the bedroom. Walking back into the lounge, Rachel said that she was going to pop into the gallery to catch up with Tom and Lisa. 'Will you be okay here?'

  'Yes, thanks. Say hi to everyone from me.'

  'I was thinking I could pick up a takeaway on the way home, how does that sound?'

  'Perfect. See you later.'

  Lisa was thrilled to see Rachel back, and hugged her warmly. Firstly asking after Lea, she caught Rachel up with what she had been doing. 'I've really missed you. After you being such a workaholic, I still can't get used to you not being here.'

  'Now that Lea's better, things will start to go back to normal. I will be travelling back and forth, but I'll be able to come back more often now. Lea's with me this time, she'll probably come to work tomorrow.'

  'Maybe we can all go out for dinner after work, with Tom and Eric, too.'

  'Yes, that would be really nice. I'm sure Lea would love to. For the last few weeks, she's had mostly me and Sue for company.'

  Tom walked over to hug her, and couldn't help a bit of sarcasm sneaking into his voice, 'The wanderer returns.'

  Rachel looked up at him, 'I'm sorry I haven't been around much. From now on, that will change. Now that Lea is more mobile, things are much easier.'

  Tom smiled at her, 'It's good to have you back.'

  When Rachel arrived home, she put the takeaway on the worktop in the kitchen. It was quite a cosy kitchen, with cream cupboards, beech worktops and beige tiles. Not very original, but functional and neutral. She didn't spend much time in it, so she hadn't really thought about changing it. Compared to Lea's cottage, her flat seemed quite dull and colourless. Maybe she could redecorate, cheer it up a bit. Walking into the lounge, Rachel saw that Lea had fallen asleep on the sofa, her legs tucked under the throw that Rachel kept on the arm of the sofa. She liked to snuggle under it when she watched a film or read a book. Rachel perched on the edge of the sofa, and gently stroked Lea's face. There was still a faint scar down the left side of her face, the only reminder of the accident, other than a barely imperceptible limp when Lea was tired. Rachel leaned down to kiss Lea's forehead, saying, 'Hey sleepy head, I've brought dinner.'

  Lea's eyes fluttered open, and as she saw Rachel, she smiled. 'Hey, I must have fallen asleep. What time is it?'

  'It's gone eight. I was quite late at the gallery. I've got us a curry, I hope that's okay.'

  'Lovely.' Lea sat up and stretched.

  Rachel went back to the kitchen, and served up the meal. Over dinner, she told Lea about Lisa's suggestion of going out for a meal after work. Lea thought that that was a great idea. 'It will be good to see the others, it's been such a long time.'

  When Rachel and Lea arrived at the gallery the next morning, Tom, Eric and Lisa hugged Lea and made a big fuss of her. She was quite overwhe
lmed by their greetings, and touched that they cared so much. Once the excitement had died down, they got back to work. Lea was going to help out with the exhibition for her friends.

  While Rachel was in Tom's office, Lea was helping Lisa in Rachel's office. 'I'm so pleased to see you. You really freaked us all out when we heard what happened. Rachel says you're doing well.'

  'Yes, I've healed really quickly. It helps that I've had my own personal nurse in Rachel! She's been brilliant, I don't know what I'd have done without her. I bet you've missed her here.'

  'We all did. But when she's here without you, she's not quite herself somehow. When you're around, she's so much more relaxed, happier. You're so good for her.'

  Lea smiled. 'Thank you, that's really good to hear.'

  Tom said to Rachel, 'Lea looks great. I'm so pleased you're back together.'

  'Me too. I can't believe how I nearly screwed it up. The accident was the worst thing ever, I never want to go through anything like that again. But once we got over that, and Lea started getting better, it's been really good.'

  'Ironically, it was the accident that brought you back together.'

  Rachel sighed. 'Sue said that the universe has a way of bringing people together. I don't really know what I think about that, but I do know how I feel about Lea. It's taken a lot of balls ups on my part to realise how I feel about her. Do you know, when I went to her bedside, willing her to wake up, I told her I loved her, and it shocked me to realise that I had never told her before.'

  Tom smiled at Rachel. 'You could see in your face, when you talked about Lea, that you loved her.'

  'Sue said something similar. But the thought that I might lose her, without ever telling her how I felt,' Rachel started to choke up, 'I couldn't bear it.' A tear ran down Rachel's face.

  Tom walked over to her, wrapping her in his arms. 'You did tell her. She knows exactly how you feel.'