Room 324, Sunday Evening

[vanillajello]

Kate felt weird. As if she... was supposed to feel kind of dizzy, but everything was completely clear instead. With a vague buzzing, somewhere in the background. It was probably shock.

She was just going to run with it, for as long as it lasted. Then collapse. Maybe cry. She wasn't thinking about any of that right now. Someone else was her priority.

And that someone was Bod, who'd been using her as a walking aid on their way up from the lobby.

"So, what do you need?" she asked when they'd made it to her room.

[ooc: For the poor, poor boyfriend.]

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[vanillajello]

Kate sighed and shook her head, glancing up at him again.

"You can do whatever you feel like doing," she said quietly. "I'm so happy you're back."

[therewaslife]

Bod nodded though there was a lump in his throat and his stomach had knotted again. He didn't think he'd start crying but the precursors were there to be battled against.

He felt like doing a lot of things but he couldn't exactly do them for one reason or another. He rubbed his eyes again.

[vanillajello]

Kate wanted to say something, but... nothing was really coming out right now. So she moved closer, pressing her face against the crook of his neck, now.

She felt happy, but numbly, in a broken way.

[therewaslife]

Carefully, Bod slipped his arm around her back, trying to heed both his injuries and hers, minor or not. He was able to make soothing sounds, to try and settle her down even if that was futile right now.

He could be there and pull himself away from the terrible images in his mind to focus on her, to comfort her.

[vanillajello]

She didn't feel like she'd be really relaxed anytime soon, but she appreciated the effort, greedily accepting all the comfort he could provide.

She felt like her guard wasn't so much down as just torn into itty bitty shreds.

"Happy thoughts," she muttered against his neck.

[therewaslife]

"I'm trying," he assured her, breathing slowly and closing his eyes. He ached physically and mentally and forcing that away was difficult. "Do you have a happy thought?"

[vanillajello]

"You smell nice." It was both inane and something she'd already said before, but it was the first one in her mind and out of her mouth. "I can go buy candy tomorrow. We've moved out of the cabins again. Uh... Kittens are cute?"

She was trying.

[therewaslife]

"They are," he said and did smile this time, unable to stop it from briefly crossing his face. "You smell nice too. Your bed is very comfortable. I feel better than I did."

[vanillajello]

"And," she said, trying to find other simple happy things, "um, I bought a cute new shirt last week. And I feel better than I did too, and nothing happened to your lips so we can still kiss while you're healing. And it's still summer."

[therewaslife]

"We can still kiss while I'm healing," he said, liking that particular happy thought. "You'll have to show me your new shirt sometime. I don't have any new clothes of my own. If the week goes by quickly, we'll have a weekend to relax soon enough."

[vanillajello]

"And it's not like our weeks are too straining either," she pointed out, still speaking against his neck. "A couple of classes and that's it."

[therewaslife]

"True. We'll see if I can go to any of mine this week," he replied quietly. Right now, it didn't look all that likely. "I might spend all week in your bed."

[vanillajello]

"If you need to, then you'll do that," she replied, brushing her lips against his skin in a soft kiss. "I won't mind."

[therewaslife]

"I know you won't but it's still somewhat of a disruption for you," he insisted quietly. "And I know you're exhausted."

[vanillajello]

Kate shook her head. "You're not a disruption," she said, gentle but decisive. Now, the exhausted part, that she wouldn't argue with. "You're hurt and I want to make sure you get better."

[therewaslife]

"I will get better," he said and he was decisive on that. He'd push himself and make certain of that. "Everything on me will heal."

Physically, that is.

"I'll just..." He trailed off and rubbed his eyes, using it as almost a stall tactic now. "...be more aware of the island's machinations now."

[vanillajello]

Kate just made a little noise at that, unwilling to make any of the scathing remarks that felt so natural to her when it came to this particular subject. She was sure those would come later.

"Yes," she said, after a moment.

[therewaslife]

Bod nodded but didn't know what else he could say. He knew that she disliked what the island did sometimes and trying to convince her otherwise (not that he was planning on doing that) wasn't going to work.

So, he didn't talk, unable to come up with words once again.

[vanillajello]

Kate stayed quiet for a while again, unpleasant thoughts whirring inside her mind. They were the reason her voice was a little on the flat side as she said, "This one was worse."

Worse than the comanap debacle, she meant. She wasn't even sure why she said that. But he was right, she was exhausted.

[therewaslife]

"It's over," he said even if he knew that was little help. "Happy thoughts? We could do something to take your mind off things?"

[vanillajello]

She sighed. "Something like what?"

[therewaslife]

"I don't...know." He shook his head apologetically. "I'm exactly thinking clearly. It was just a suggestion, fruitless as it seems to be."

[vanillajello]

She shook her head too, then nuzzled his neck, gently. She could still do that. "Think we should both just accept that our minds aren't coming off things tonight."

[therewaslife]

"Probably." He was pretty certain of that, in fact. "I don't know what else to say or do. I wish I did."

[vanillajello]

"You don't have to do anything. You're here. That's the best I could hope for today." As sad as that was. She breathed in and out a few times, her nose half pressed against his neck. Her favorite neck in the world. "I love you."

Too tired to hold it back, too tired to panic about it.