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strolling day
"Hi, Sergeant Pettigrew, did my colleague survive the night?" Colavito had decided to stroll in, she wanted a day like "strolling", a day with the easy flow of a healthy stream full with spring runoff.
Eileen Pettigrew looked up from her paperwork with a happy smile. "He struggled through, despite incompetent staff, bad food and my best endeavors to kill him."
Jenn Colavito laughed, grateful the stream was full. "Can I see the poor man?"
"He's not hard on the eyes, that one, third bed on your left through the curtain."
"Thanks, Sarge."
"Umm .. a word to the wise?"
Colavito paused. "Yes?"
Pettigrew grinned. "All he has on is a johnny gown, the laundry isn't back yet."
Colavito patted her heart. "God, I hope you put it on the wrong way round!"
"No such luck, but I took pictures before I gowned him." Pettigrew allowed herself another noise or two her family were better off not knowing about.
Colavito grinned back & wagged a finger at her. "You, dear lady, have an evil mind."
"It keeps me young!"
Colavito disappeared beyond the curtain, smiling. She focused on Raitt's bed, getting only a smattering of a sense of the others in the ward. Raitt was half asleep, and his penis was using the the rest period to extend itself fully under the sheets.
"Good morning, Stephen." Colavito knelt and brushed the hair away from Raitt's forehead. "Word's out you'll live, so you're busted back to active duty."
Raitt grinned as he surfaced from a peaceful doze. "Damn, and I was just getting used to being waited on hand and foot!"
Colavito stepped to the end of the bed and ran her nail file handle up the bottom of Raitt's foot.
"Oww!"
"Bubinsky's fine, Detective Junior Grade Raitt, summon thy laundry & suit up, we have a murder to solve."
Raitt looked at the clock and sighed. "Yeah, I'm good to go except for clothes. If I can borrow a robe, we can go to my suite & I can dress."
Colavito noticed the pronoun. "'We?' 'We' can go to your suite?"
Raitt grinned again. "Sorry, perhaps when I get a little older?"
Jenn laughed. "You have no idea how much that choice of words just cost you!"
Raitt let his head sink into his hands. "I know, I know, it's a failing of mine."
Another laugh from Colavito. "Is that your usual strategy, self-deprecating humour?"
Raitt stared out from behind his fingers. "Did it work?"
Colavito picked up the robe on this 'strolling' day. In a low voice she said, "Why don't we wait to find out in your suite?"
Raitt rose just as the vox went off in Jen's pocket. She turned away from him as she said "Colavito."
Stephen Raitt had been contemplating a pleasant short-term future with his partner and boss. He slipped the johnny gown off and donned the robe.
He watched it happen, the raising of Colavito's head, the movement of her right hand to the back of her neck, the movements Jenn made with her shoulders as if she expected a blow to fall any moment.
The USAF orderly dropped off Raitt's laundry, forcing him to dress again.
Jenn was off the vox, leaning her hands on the bottom bed rail. She didn't bother to tell him.
Raitt didn't bother to ask.
Spring runoff was over as the stream ran dry and Jenn's strolling day ended as surely as the life of John Doe #3.
Eileen Pettigrew looked up from her paperwork with a happy smile. "He struggled through, despite incompetent staff, bad food and my best endeavors to kill him."
Jenn Colavito laughed, grateful the stream was full. "Can I see the poor man?"
"He's not hard on the eyes, that one, third bed on your left through the curtain."
"Thanks, Sarge."
"Umm .. a word to the wise?"
Colavito paused. "Yes?"
Pettigrew grinned. "All he has on is a johnny gown, the laundry isn't back yet."
Colavito patted her heart. "God, I hope you put it on the wrong way round!"
"No such luck, but I took pictures before I gowned him." Pettigrew allowed herself another noise or two her family were better off not knowing about.
Colavito grinned back & wagged a finger at her. "You, dear lady, have an evil mind."
"It keeps me young!"
Colavito disappeared beyond the curtain, smiling. She focused on Raitt's bed, getting only a smattering of a sense of the others in the ward. Raitt was half asleep, and his penis was using the the rest period to extend itself fully under the sheets.
"Good morning, Stephen." Colavito knelt and brushed the hair away from Raitt's forehead. "Word's out you'll live, so you're busted back to active duty."
Raitt grinned as he surfaced from a peaceful doze. "Damn, and I was just getting used to being waited on hand and foot!"
Colavito stepped to the end of the bed and ran her nail file handle up the bottom of Raitt's foot.
"Oww!"
"Bubinsky's fine, Detective Junior Grade Raitt, summon thy laundry & suit up, we have a murder to solve."
Raitt looked at the clock and sighed. "Yeah, I'm good to go except for clothes. If I can borrow a robe, we can go to my suite & I can dress."
Colavito noticed the pronoun. "'We?' 'We' can go to your suite?"
Raitt grinned again. "Sorry, perhaps when I get a little older?"
Jenn laughed. "You have no idea how much that choice of words just cost you!"
Raitt let his head sink into his hands. "I know, I know, it's a failing of mine."
Another laugh from Colavito. "Is that your usual strategy, self-deprecating humour?"
Raitt stared out from behind his fingers. "Did it work?"
Colavito picked up the robe on this 'strolling' day. In a low voice she said, "Why don't we wait to find out in your suite?"
Raitt rose just as the vox went off in Jen's pocket. She turned away from him as she said "Colavito."
Stephen Raitt had been contemplating a pleasant short-term future with his partner and boss. He slipped the johnny gown off and donned the robe.
He watched it happen, the raising of Colavito's head, the movement of her right hand to the back of her neck, the movements Jenn made with her shoulders as if she expected a blow to fall any moment.
The USAF orderly dropped off Raitt's laundry, forcing him to dress again.
Jenn was off the vox, leaning her hands on the bottom bed rail. She didn't bother to tell him.
Raitt didn't bother to ask.
Spring runoff was over as the stream ran dry and Jenn's strolling day ended as surely as the life of John Doe #3.