Chapter 10

The recording came to an end but neither of them showed any inclination to move. Wendy laid her head on his shoulder and sighed.

"What's wrong?" Tim asked softly.

"Nothing. Everything's very all right. That was a sigh of bliss."

"Ah, a happy suitoress."

"Very." There was a long pause. "Um, Tim ... she'd, um, be even, er, happier if you gave her um, a kiss."

Very gently Tim kissed her forehead. "That's all I can reach."

Wendy wriggled round and straddled his right thigh. She kissed him equally gently on the lips.

"Better?" she whispered.

"Much."

His right arm went round her shoulder and his hand to the back of her head. He pulled her lips to his again. It was still a soft kiss but it was prolonged until Wendy pulled back, put her arms round his neck and laid her cheek against his. They stayed like that for several minutes. His arm tightened around her.

"Tim?"

"Yes, Wendy?"

"I ... I d-don't th-think I've e-ever b-been happier in m-my life."

"Nor have I since ... since..."

"I know."

There was a long silence while Tim's mind raced. Jane had released him. He was extremely fond of Betty but this little girl ... She was sweet, gentle, intelligent, fun and she loved him. He loved her!

"Wendy?"

"Mm?"

"I love you."

Wendy stiffened momentarily and then she pushed back from him, her eyes streaming. "Oh, Tim! My darling Tim. I love you too. Oh God, how I love you!"

Her arms tightened round his neck again and she clung to him. Tim's eyes were not dry either. He brought his left hand cautiously up to hold her while his right arm tightened.

It was not very comfortable for either of them and eventually they drew apart and again kissed gently.

"I really have got an incentive to get better now," Tim smiled at her. "So that I can hold you properly."

"I'm not so sure about that," she grinned. "I could hardly breathe with only one arm hugging me."

"Oh, Wendy my sweet, did I hurt you?"

"No, darling, just nearly suffocated me. Bear!" she grinned.

She stood and pulled Tim to his feet.

"Anyway, Mr Richards, I'm back in Nurse Waters mode. It's ointment time. You go on up while I tidy away and lock up."

"Yes, Nurse. On one condition though."

"What? Patients answering back?"

"Please may I kiss my love goodbye?"

"Oh very well!"

She reached up and pulled his head down and kissed him warmly. "All right now?"

"Well..."

"I don't know!" she exclaimed in mock exasperation. She pulled his head down again and kissed him once more only this time her tongue flicked across his lips. "I love you so much," she said in a strangled voice, grabbed the coffee cups and fled to the kitchen.

Smiling happily from ear to ear Tim clambered up the stairs. Wendy joined him and helped him off with his clothes. She knelt beside him and started work on his shoulder but tonight she accompanied her ministrations with kissing his neck and nibbling his ear. While doing his knee she stroked his calf and then his thigh but then, noting a reaction she giggled and returned to his calf.

"Monkey!" grinned Tim.

"Yup!" An equally big grin.

There was silence until she finished and sat back. "There!" she said. "Now, much as I'd like to I'm not going to join you in bed until your shoulder and knee are sufficiently healed but I am going to kiss you goodnight so lie down on your back."

He did as he was told and Wendy straddled him. Taking care not to touch his shoulder she bent forward to kiss him taking her weight on her forearms. His right arm went round her. This time it was a long and passionate kiss.

Eventually she sat back and gently stroked his face. "My darling man," she whispered. "My sweet, darling, gentle man. How I love you!"

"And I love you, my lovely girl. I'm just amazed that you can love me being old enough to be your father."

She laid her hand over his heart. "It's what's in here that counts not to mention here as well." She stroked his head with her other hand. "I just want to be with you forever."

"But, darling, ever may not be a very long time. I'll probably only last another fifteen or twenty years and towards the end I may become senile and dotty."

She smiled gently at him. "And you'll have a vigorous younger woman to look after you. Tim, my precious, I've thought about all that and I've longed to spend the rest of your life with you. I love you and you love me and when you leave me I'll have the memories of you to love until I join you and Jane."

"Oh, Wendy!"

He reached up to her and she leant forward to kiss him again. It was not a passionate kiss this time but the love in it was very apparent to both of them.

"Wendy, will you marry me?"

She was unable to answer. Tears filled her eyes. She nodded dumbly and then fell forward to kiss him again. She forgot about his shoulder and he winced in pain but still wrapped his right arm around her and held her tight.

"Oh, darling! Oh Wendy darling, thank you! Thank you!"

They lay in exultant silence for several minutes until Wendy pushed herself up.

"I know there's nothing we can do about it until you get better but I'm jolly well staying with you all night. I'll be back in a minute."

She was, wearing a completely utility nighty, long, shapeless and revealing nothing.

"Roll onto your right hand side and get comfortable," she ordered.

Tim did as he was told and Wendy slid in behind him pulling the duvet up. She snuggled up with her thighs against his and her arm round his lower chest.

"Is that comfortable?" she asked anxiously.

"Very."

"Shoulder all right?"

"Yes thanks."

"Go to sleep then, my darling."

"Sleep well, my little one."

She kissed him between the shoulder blades and then fell back slightly so that her nose was not pushing into him. Two very, very happy people fell asleep in minutes.