A Gut Feeling
Fever
Till You Sizzle
Oh What A Lovely Way To Burn
Till You Sizzle
Oh What A Lovely Way To Burn
“Will?”
Willow looked up from the kitchen table where she was typing on her laptop. She smiled at Tara in the doorway and shut the lid.
“Hey, did you see the latest schedule I sent you? I need you to add in your shifts at the bar.”
Tara sidled up alongside Willow and took her hand.
“I want to talk to you about that.”
She pulled gently until Willow stood and brought her over to the couch.
“Is everything okay?” Willow asked with a crumpled brow line of concern, “Did you hate the green? I knew I should have used yellow.”
Tara just smiled easily.
“I loved the green. The white font was inspired,” she reassured with an emphatic crinkling of her eyes, “You keep telling me I’m making enough now to quit the bar.”
“You are,” Willow replied with a quick and eager nod of her head, “I’d love to see you stop running yourself ragged. I think the summertime is the perfect time to transition and really set your DJ schedule before classes have to be factored in again.”
Tara folded her legs under her and continued to hold Willow’s hand.
“Well, I talked to my bosses last night and they agreed that I could cut back to just my hosting role. It would mean no late nights at the bar unless I'm playing a show. I’d work a set shift on alternating three/four day weeks.”
Willow nodded slowly.
“Well, that sounds pretty good. At least you’d have nights back.”
“I’m very happy with the arrangement,” Tara confirmed and squeezed Willow’s hand, “But I’m not happy with your arrangement.”
“Oh?” Willow asked, frowning for a moment before it flattened into a thin line, “Oh.”
Tara nodded slowly.
“I need a professional manager. One who’s paid for all of the time and dedication they put in.”
Willow nodded quickly again though her gaze was downcast.
“Yeah, of course. I mean, you’re blowing up and you need the best.”
Tara smiled.
“I agree.”
Willow looked up and rubbed her thumb over Tara’s knuckles.
“I’ll help you find them,” she said sincerely, “They’re ten a penny in this town, I don’t want you rolled over.”
Tara laughed softly.
“You already have, Willow.”
Willow frowned again.
“I’m sorry, I’m lost.”
Tara gently pulled at the collar of Willow’s shirt.
“Willow, I want you to be my manager. Officially. Paid.”
Willow’s nose crinkled.
“Huh?”
Tara brushed her fingers on Willow’s cheek.
“You’re looking for a job that you can’t even figure out what for but you already have one. And you’re phenomenal at it. Plus you’re the only manager in the world that I know for a fact would choose my well-being over extra cash.”
Willow’s mouth opened and closed.
“I…can’t take money from you.”
“You’re not,” Tara dismissed with an arched eyebrow, “You’re earning money from DJ Tarot Inc.”
“It’s an LLC,” Willow corrected softly.
Tara grinned.
“See? You’re great at all of this stuff. You know the accounts and the schedule. You know my worth,” she said and cupped Willow’s cheek, “And I know yours. You deserve to be paid for all of the work you do. DJ Tarot is nothing without you. We’re a team. And I want to be equal partners.”
Willow swallowed softly.
“You know I’m always on Team Maclay.”
She lifted her fist and they jokingly bumped up and down before meeting in the middle.
“Does that mean you’re in? Officially?” Tara asked with glee.
“I…guess?” Willow replied with a tentative smile, “I’m only taking what’s fair.”
“I’m not completely ignorant of these things. I think we can agree on a very fair base salary plus 10% of all earnings,” Tara replied in a reasoned tone, then smirked and arched an eyebrow saucily, “And wait until you see the benefits…”
She turned her head and pressed it into Willow’s neck.
Willow’s eyes fluttered closed.
“I’m very amenable to the benefits package…”
Tara kissed up Willow’s ear.
“Hey, I had a quick question about something…”
“Mmhm?” Willow replied, her tongue poking out as lips caressed her ear.
Tara inhaled softly from Willow’s neck.
“It’s about your app.”
Willow’s eyes opened and she straightened up.
“My app? You mean…our app? Is there something wrong? Do you want me to put some new stuff up?”
“The app is great,” Tara blushed lightly, “I enjoy it…regularly.”
Willow blushed too.
“Me too.”
“I just wondered…” Tara walked her fingers on Willow’s thigh, “If there was a way to…sort through things?”
Willow frowned.
“What do you mean?”
Tara shrugged one shoulder shyly.
“Sometimes I…have a particular…um…” she paused and blushed further, “I’d like to find a particular image or…set of images…perhaps a certain…area of the body?”
“Ohh!” Willow replied, her eyes brightening, “Oh, I get it! Like categories! Yes! I could do like upper body/lower body or, who cares if it’s crude, it’s just for us. Boobs and butts!”
She suddenly sat forward excitedly.
“I could introduce a tagging system!”
She blushed and settled back down, catching her breath.
“Got myself a little too excited there.”
Tara moved her hand up Willow’s thigh.
“Why don’t I get you a little more excited?”
She nipped at Willow’s ear, who shivered and turned her head toward Tara. Tara took Willow’s face gently in her hands but in contrast, kissed her with all the fervor of her burning desire.
She could feel the heat radiating from Willow.
“Oh, I’m getting you really hot and bothered.”
“Yeah,” Willow agreed breathlessly and turned her head to deepen the kiss.
Tara’s hand slipped down Willow’s collarbone and cupped her breast, bare under the light t-shirt Willow was wearing. Tara tried to whip it off but Willow jolted and groaned.
Tara stopped and held Willow’s arm.
“Hey, you okay?”
Willow nodded with a blush.
“Just had cramps all morning.”
“You wanna stop?” Tara asked with soft eyes.
Willow shook her head.
“Definitely not,” she said, lightly licking her lips, “But can we go easy?”
Tara leaned in and kissed Willow’s lips softly, then sunk to the floor on her knees and grinned up at Willow crookedly.
Willow took in slow, anticipatory breaths as Tara tugged her linen pants down her legs and began to kiss her thighs. Willow opened her legs accommodatingly and sighed softly as Tara’s nose bumped the front of her underwear.
Her abdomen burned and she tried to roll herself against Tara’s face for a brief relief. She felt Tara trail a finger down the crease of her thigh before hooking it into the curve of her panties to tug them off. She pushed her hips to the edge of the couch and was relieved when Tara just began to attend to her with a soft touch.
She held Tara’s head as it gently bobbed; ears sitting on her thighs and Tara’s hair splayed out across her lap.
New flames began to lick inside her in a much more pleasant way and a quiet moan carried down to Tara’s muffled ears to let her know she was doing exactly what was needed. Willow felt her pulse quicken and she could have drawn it out but had no intention of it. She pushed Tara’s head further into herself and let her neck fall back as she rode all over Tara’s face.
She let out a long, low groan and after a moment of twitching, she sunk back into the couch with her eyes closed.
“We’re really working our way around the surfaces in the house,” she said through labored breath and with a sweaty brow.
Tara’s head popped up from between Willow’s legs and she discreetly wiped her mouth.
“I’m determined to get you up on the kitchen counter.”
Willow smiled.
“I told you, just not when the burner is on. That’s asking this Klutzilla for a trip to the emergency room.”
Tara stood and sat beside Willow, stretching out her knees.
Willow turned her head and leaned over to kiss Tara. She tried to lean over to put her hand under Tara’s shirt but the burning of old came back and she groaned in pain.
“Oh, baby,” Tara comforted gently, patting Willow’s arm, “I think you need to go lie down with a hot water bottle and some Tylenol. Are you due already? I thought we were pretty synced up.”
Willow shook her head.
“I think it’s ovulation pains. It doesn’t feel like normal cramps,” she said, then looked at Tara with sunken eyes, “Baby, I’m sorry. You didn’t get to…”
Tara leaned in and kissed the corner of Willow’s mouth.
“I enjoyed myself immensely.”
She got down on her knees again to help Willow redress and Willow melted at the tenderness of it all. She stood gingerly as Tara helped her settle her pants and underwear on her hips and took the offered hand for Tara to bring her to the bedroom. After getting her comfortable, Tara put the kettle on the burner and got Willow some painkillers while she waited for it to whistle.
Finally, she brought Willow a hot water bottle like her mother always did for her and put it under the covers over Willow’s stomach.
Willow murmured some gratitude with her eyes closed, weary. Tara kissed her forehead and left to allow Willow to rest.
“OW!”
Tara looked up in alarm from where she was going over her setlist for her show that night.
She put the tablet down on the table and jumped up, running into the bedroom. Willow was sitting on the edge of the bed, doubled over.
“I tried to get up to pee. It hurts so much!”
Tara came over and looked at Willow’s flushed face with concern. She touched Willow’s forehead.
“Darling, you’re still burning up,” she said, realizing her earlier temperature spike might not have been a fever of passion but just a good old-fashioned fever.
She noticed Willow cradling her lower right side.
“Is that where it hurts?”
Willow nodded.
“It was more in my stomach earlier but now it’s all here.”
Tara made a pained face.
“Can you try to jump?”
Willow looked at Tara like she had two heads.
“What?”
“I know it sounds weird,” Tara said in a comforting tone, “Just see if you can do a little jump.”
Willow grudgingly stood but as soon as she tried to lift her feet off the ground she nearly collapsed under the pain.
“Okay, okay!” Tara said, shooting her arms out to catch Willow and ease her back down, “Honey, I think I need to take you to the ER after all. I think you have appendicitis.”
Willow looked up, dazed and confused. Her face was stark white.
“Huh?”
Tara patted the bed around Willow to make sure she was secure.
“Sit, honey. I’ll get your shoes. I’m going to drive you right now.”
Tara ran to the closet to find a pair of flats and while she was in there, spotted a little backpack Willow wore out sometimes. She stuffed it with some extra clothing, Willow’s phone and charger, earbuds, a toothbrush, and Willow’s wallet which was all she could see on visible surfaces as she ran around in a panic.
Willow was in so much pain she didn’t notice anything but base commands like ‘lift’ or ‘lean’ so Tara was gentle with her as she got her out of the apartment and into the car.
She was very glad they didn’t have to negotiate the stairs.
She belted Willow in with a groan and apologized while being as gentle as she could. She had to rifle through Willow’s wallet to find her insurance card to find out which urgent care to take her to while suppressing the urge to panic.
She found the information she needed and drove to the hospital as quickly and safely as she could while trying to comfort her girlfriend.
The drive seemed to take forever but it wasn’t really. Still, for Willow, every second was a second more of pain and for Tara a second more of hearing her love hurt. She parked as close to the entrance as she could, got under Willow, and helped her to the triage nurse.
“She’s having really bad stomach pains and I think her fever’s really high,” Tara rattled off without pleasantries, “It’s gotten worse over the last couple of hours. She’s in a lot of pain.”
Willow whimpered indicatively.
The nurse held a thermometer out through the hatch and took Willow’s forehead temperature. Upon looking at the reading, she nodded to an orderly beside her to go out with a wheelchair.
“Fill this out,” she said to Tara, pushing a clipboard toward her while the orderly helped Willow into the wheelchair and brought her into the ER.
Tara watched helplessly for a moment before the doors closed and she looked down at the forms. She sank into the nearest seat and began to fill out the information. She still had Willow’s insurance card so she was able to complete it without much hesitation.
As she brought it back to the triage desk, she heard her name being yelled and looked up to see Willow was reaching out for her desperately whilst being wheeled away in a hospital bed. The doors opened to let a nurse out and Tara slipped in to hurry over to Willow with the triage nurse calling after her.
“Hey!”
Tara ignored her in favor of following the bed to the elevators.
“What’s going on?”
“They’re taking me for surgery,” Willow said in a small voice.
“You’ll be fine,” Tara reassured gently, covering Willow’s hand.
She was as pale as a ghost and shaking.
“I-I’ve never had surgery before.”
Tara remembered saying that to Willow just before going under for her ankle.
“But I have and I came out fine, didn’t I?” she forced a little smile.
The elevator doors opened and the doctors pushed Willow in.
“We gotta go.”
Tara stood on the other side, helpless.
“You’ll be fine, I promise!”
The doors closed and Tara’s heart sank.
After a moment of just staring at the closed elevator doors, she went back to the waiting area where the triage nurse gave her a wry but understanding look. Tara sat, unsure, for a few moments before taking Willow’s little bag off of her back and taking out her phone. She knew the unlock code, as Willow knew hers. She pressed a few buttons and put the phone to her ear.
“Hello? This is Tara…Tara Maclay.”
Tara was quite literally twiddling her thumbs as she waited in the hard, plastic seat.
The noise level in the waiting room was pretty constant: the beeping of machines; the rattle of the vending machine; the whooshing of the doors opening and closing. People spoke in low volumes, so much so that when someone arrived and loudly banged their hand against the triage hatch, everybody looked up.
“Yes, hello, excuse me! I’m looking for my daughter Willow Danielle Rosenberg.”
“Mrs. Rosenberg,” Tara quickly stood and looked apologetically at the triage nurse who definitely wasn’t paid enough for all of this shit, “You got here quickly.”
“I’ve been lecturing at UCLA,” Sheila dismissed and Tara frowned because she was certain no one had bothered to tell Willow that she was in town, “Where is Willow?”
Tara shuffled from one foot to the other, feeling awkward under Sheila’s penetrating energy.
“They took her for surgery as I said on the phone. I’m expecting to hear soon.”
“Rosenberg?” a call came from a young doctor, looking around cluelessly.
Both Tara and Sheila stepped toward him and Sheila looked mildly annoyed by it.
“Yes, I am her mother.”
The young doctor looked relieved.
“Her surgery went fine. We removed the appendix with a laparoscopic incision without it rupturing. She’s out of recovery but still asleep. We’re running fluids and antibiotics but all going well she should be able to go home tomorrow.”
“W-where is she?” Tara asked and again, Sheila seemed annoyed that she got there first.
“Inpatient surgical unit,” the doctor replied before nodding cordially and making a quick exit.
Tara turned to the hospital map on the wall to locate the inpatient unit but winced when she heard a familiar shrill voice break the white noise of the ER.
“Where is the inpatient unit? I need to know at once.”
“It’s this way,” Tara spoke quietly, having already ascertained this information with a quick glance.
Sheila looked haughty as she lifted her purse and tried to lead Tara away, despite being the one who was following.
The inpatient unit was on the sixth floor and never had an elevator ride been more uncomfortable for Tara. She had no idea why Sheila seemed so mad at her; she hadn’t given Willow an inflamed appendix. She'd called straight away. She hadn't done anything wrong. Except maybe being Willow's girlfriend.
She reasoned Sheila was probably just as shocked as she was to be in this situation and let it go.
Willow looked peaceful in her bed and some color had come back into her cheeks.
Tara had barely touched Willow’s hand when Sheila was by the bedside, checking Willow’s drip importantly.
“Did you tell them about her potential allergy to thiopental?”
Tara looked up slowly, eyes sinking into a frown.
“I…I didn’t know she had an allergy.”
Sheila made a noise of disapproval.
“Well maybe you don’t know all that you think,” she said curtly and sent Tara a glare, “Perhaps it’s time to let my daughter rest.”
Tara’s jaw was set in annoyance; unable to hide it any longer.
“Mrs. Rosenberg, with all due respect, Willow would want me here.”
Sheila stood up, eyes flaming like Willow’s did sometimes; turning almost black.
“Yes, well, Willow has a lot of silly notions now, doesn’t she? It’s time that girl learned about what’s best for her.”
She suddenly smashed the nurse call button and before Tara could even react, she was being pointed at as a nurse came to help.
“This woman isn’t welcome in this room with my daughter.”
Tara glanced at the nurse and back.
“I’m her girlfriend.”
“And I’m her next of kin,” Sheila spat back.
“Do I need to call security?” the nurse asked with a raised eyebrow.
Sheila eyed Tara narrowly.
“I pay for her insurance, something I certainly won’t be doing if you continue to grandstand for no reason.”
Tara felt a shiver of utter contempt go up her back but she knew when to pick her battles. She didn’t know enough about insurance to know if Sheila could make it so they were indebted with medical bills.
Silently she placed Willow’s bag by the side of her bed and kissed her forehead.
“I love you, baby,” she whispered before turning and making a beeline out the door.
She refused to let Sheila see the tears in her eyes.
Beep. Beep. Beep.
Willow felt something squeezing her arm tightly and it pulled her from a deeply-held slumber. She struggled sluggishly until big, warm hands gently tried to stop her.
“It’s okay, bubbelah. Everything is okay.”
Willow struggled to open her eyes.
“…Dad?”
Her voice was raspy and her eyes strained under bright lights as she tried to open them.
“Yes, darling,” Ira comforted gently, “Your mother and I are here. You’ve just woken up from surgery. Everything went well.”
Willow spent a few minutes adjusting to consciousness and reached for a cup of water. Sheila helped her drink it as she gingerly sat up.
“They took out my appendix?”
“Yes,” Sheila answered with a raised chin, “If I’d been informed sooner I could have gotten you into a better hospital but at least they seemed to have done their jobs.”
Willow finally felt like she had cleared her vision. She glanced around.
“Where’s Tara?”
“Oh, I haven’t seen her,” Ira answered, looking up to Sheila, “Your mother called me and I drove right down. It was a blessing your mother was already in the city.”
“You were?” Willow asked with a tired, furrowed brow, “Tara brought me in. I got sick at home.”
“She had to leave,” Sheila cut in curtly.
Willow frowned and noticed it was dark outside.
“Oh yeah. She has a show.”
Her body lagged.
“I’m sleepy.”
“Go back to sleep, darling,” Ira encouraged, “We’ll make sure the nurses know you woke up and we’ll be back in the morning to pick you up.”
“‘Kay,” Willow agreed and gave herself over to the overwhelming tiredness.
Tara stared at the ceiling for how many hours she didn’t even know anymore.
The sun had come up and the last time she’d seen that happen in person was after a far more enjoyable night than the one she’d just gone through.
She felt like the fly on the bottom of someone’s shoe as she left the hospital — no, not someone. Sheila Rosenberg.
That woman could be unfathomably cruel in such a way that made Tara think some unimaginable cruelty had been done unto her. But still, threatening to cut off Willow’s insurance to make her leave was a low blow. She could only assume it was punishment for ‘taking’ Willow away from Harvey Mudd, despite that being Willow’s decision all on her own.
She’d been in a daze at home until she’d gotten a call from the club she was supposed to play that night asking if they needed to send a car. Before an apology or any kind of explanation could come out, she simply said yes and went into autopilot in gathering her equipment.
She’d played one of the best shows of her entire life last night and had sobbed the entire way through it. Only for the pair of reflective sunglasses, which De Luca had given her for her first official show as a gag gift, she imagined she would have been kicked off that stage. But hiding behind them let people just listen to the music and damn if Tara didn’t need to get lost in her music. The club-goers fell at her feet as she fought to stay steady on them.
She just brought everyone along with her. The manager had been effusive with his praise and had promised to be in touch with her manager about future shows.
Tara could only smile weakly and stay behind those glasses until she collapsed back onto her own bed where she had begun to stare at the ceiling.
The clock clicked onto a new hour and Tara deemed it was an acceptable time to try and get in touch with Willow. She swung her legs around and winced as she tried to stand on her right ankle. It always ached like that when she was worried about Willow. It was some weird trauma carryover from the earthquake.
She found her phone on her nightstand and pulled up Willow’s number.
In the hospital, Willow was getting her shoes on when she heard a familiar tone. She looked up quickly.
“Is that my phone?”
Sheila looked over, blasé.
“Oh yes. I took it to charge it. For you.”
“Can I have it?” Willow asked eagerly, “That’s Tara’s ringtone.”
“We should get you out of here,” Sheila said, waiting until the phone had stopped ringing before packing it away in the side pocket of Willow’s bag.
“I have your medications,” Ira appeared in the room, carrying a small paper bag, “The doctor says you can be discharged and you’ll just need an appointment in two weeks to attend to your stitches.”
Willow sighed softly.
“Great. I definitely missed my own bed.”
And my own girl.
She smiled thinking of getting to see Tara and hoped she’d gotten to sleep in a bit after her late night. She’d woken in the middle of the night and had tried to find her phone but tiredness overtook her before she could. She did remember seeing her charger in her bag though.
It was weird her mother had taken her phone when she had a charger in there.
Huh.
She accepted her father’s hand and reached for her bag but Sheila had already plucked it up and away.
“It was, uh, really nice of you guys to stay the night.”
“It was no trouble,” Ira assured with a smile, “Your mother had the hotel room already. And they’ve been very understanding in her cutting her tenure short.”
“Huh?” Willow asked again and started to feel a little woozy, “Ooh, I think I need to sit down.”
A nurse brought over a wheelchair and Willow gratefully sat in.
“Thanks.”
She was wheeled down to the curb where she was picked up in her father’s car. She was grateful for its comfort as she closed the seatbelt against her sensitive abdomen and the plush headrest as she sat back and closed her eyes.
Every so often she’d readjust her position and upon one such movement, her eyes flickered open and she noticed something.
They were heading onto the freeway.
“Hey you guys are going the wrong way,” she called out softly, “Our place is west of here.”
She knew they knew where she lived. They’d been there before.
“We’re taking you back to Sunnydale, sweetheart,” Sheila called back in a trite and placating voice.
“Sheila, I thought you spoke to her already,” Ira said in hushed tones.
Willow felt a consciousness come to her like she’d been flicked in the middle of the forehead.
“What are you talking about?” she said, sitting up and speaking clearly, “I’m going home. I’m not going to Sunnydale.”
Sheila and Ira shared a look and Willow suddenly felt a panic descend on her chest. She just reacted; pushing against the seat in front of her.
“Take me home! I want to go home! I want to see Tara! Take me home!”
She kicked the seat and Sheila spun around, irate.
“Willow you’re acting like a child! You’re going to break your stitches!”
“TAKE ME HOME!” Willow screamed, taking out every bit of energy she had.
There was a sudden skid as Ira, in an uncharacteristically flustered moment, spun around back toward the city.
“I’m taking you to your apartment, Willow, right now. Please lay still. I don't want you to get hurt.”
Willow had no choice; she was completely sapped. Her cheeks were a bright red and her eyes bloodshot.
She opened the car door before Ira had even fully pulled into the parking lot and wobbled toward the door to the apartment, which she banged on repeatedly.
When Tara answered, Willow collapsed at her feet.
“Kidnap!” she exclaimed, pointing viciously at her parents who were walking up calmly behind her with her backpack and pharmacy bags, “They tried to kidnap me!”
Sheila tapped her foot and rolled her eyes.
“Willow, truly, are all of the dramatics necessary?”
Tara looked at Willow lying in her arms in alarm and up at the Rosenbergs. In one fell movement, she lifted Willow right up in her arms and stared at Sheila without breaking her gaze.
“I think it’s your turn to leave.”
Sheila’s eyes narrowed and she spun on her heel. Ira left Willow’s belongings inside the door, kissed Willow’s forehead, and schlepped along after his wife.
“Call us if you need anything.”
Tara stared down the car until it was gone. She was sure Sheila was staring back through the rearview mirror.
Willow watched too, then glanced up unsurely at Tara.
“As extremely sexy as this is, you can put me down now if you want.”
Tara looked down at Willow and did start to feel the heaviness in her arms. She stood inside, kicked the door closed, and carried Willow straight into the bedroom to lay her down on the bed.
She fussed around Willow’s pillow and blanket.
“How are you? Are you okay? How are you feeling?”
Willow sought out Tara’s cheek with her palm.
“I’m fine now I’m here,” she said, relaxing into their bed in a way she could never relax into anything else, “They put me in the car and tried to take me to Sunnydale. I had to scream to get them to bring me home.”
Tara was biting back tears.
“I’m so sorry I wasn’t there, darling.”
“Hey, it’s okay,” Willow murmured, her tiredness showing again, “I know you had to work.”
Tara sniffled. Sheila clearly hadn’t said anything about their encounter and she wasn’t about to either. She kissed Willow’s forehead, lingering there.
“Let me go get you a drink.”
Before Willow could protest, Tara had rushed off. She composed herself in the bathroom for a moment before getting Willow some Gatorade and her pharmacy bag.
“What do I have to do with these? What do you take?”
She pulled out the bottles to read the instructions.
“Okay, I should give you these with meals. Are you hungry?”
“Baby,” Willow said softly, “Just come lay with me for a minute. Please?”
Tara exhaled softly, looked at Willow, and nodded. She went over to the other side of the bed, trying to hide her limp, and carefully crawled onto the bed. Willow lifted her arm on her left side.
“Nice and close. I missed you last night. I wanted to check in after the show but my mom took my phone to charge it. She mustn’t have known you packed me one.”
Tara scowled.
“Thanks for my comfiest clothes, by the way,” Willow continued, “I was out of it last night when we were leaving. And it was really great to be able to brush my teeth this morning.”
Tara laid alongside Willow but didn’t put any of her weight there.
“Close your eyes again, baby. You need your rest. I’m going to take care of you.”
Willow settled comfortably.
“Hope you dig scars,” she mumbled as she tucked her head into Tara’s neck.
“Almost as much as belly buttons,” Tara replied tenderly and kissed Willow’s temple.
Willow sighed contentedly and slept.
Tara finally stopped staring at the ceiling.
A few hours later they both felt much more rested as they tried to go through all the post-surgery necessities.
“Willow, as much as I love to watch you squirm, you need to stay still.”
“It stings,” Willow pouted.
“I know, sweetie,” Tara soothed, “But we have to keep it clean. You don’t want to get a nasty infection.”
“I know,” Willow sighed, and stayed still to allow Tara to change her bandage.
“It’s very neat,” Tara commented as she covered the stitches up again, “You won’t even be able to see it in once it heals. They did a good job.”
“It doesn’t even hurt,” Willow admitted, despite the slight sting as Tara pressed the bandage down.
“That would be all those lovely painkillers,” Tara smiled crookedly at Willow’s slightly glazed eyes, “I’m not sure you’d feel much of anything right now.”
“I feel love,” Willow replied and smiled adoringly — if a little high.
Tara ducked her head and started to gently massage Willow’s upper leg.
“It’s true,” Willow continued, staring at Tara until she returned her gaze, “You are the strength that keeps me walking.”
She glanced down at her own legs.
“Literally.”
Tara paused and looked up at Willow with guilt in her eyes.
“Willow, I’m so sorry that I didn’t know you were allergic to that medication. I should have known. They mustn’t have used it but I should have…”
“I don’t have an allergy to any medication,” Willow said with a scrunched nose.
Tara frowned.
“Your mother mentioned….something. Theo-something.”
Willow’s eyes opened and closed, one at a time, slightly comically as her fuzzy brain worked things out.
“Oh, thiopental!” she said eventually with a dramatic bob of her head, “My grandma was allergic, the mean one. She gave me her red hair and hopefully nothing else. She almost died during open-heart surgery. We were all surprised to find she even had one.”
She chuckled at her own joke but Tara’s frown deepened, then she shook her head.
“Everything was so crazy yesterday. I’m glad you’re not allergic. I want to know all of that stuff, okay? When you’re better. In Nepal…you were so focused on me. I never learned everything I need to know about you.”
Willow frowned so deeply it turned into a pout at how low Tara’s voice was registering,
“You took care of me so well, Tara,” she said, reaching down to stroke Tara’s hair; her general dramatic demeanor making her strokes like how she would stroke a dog, “My appendix could have ruptured if you didn’t think so quickly and get me to the hospital. You’re my savior.”
Tara smiled softly and scooted up to kiss Willow’s forehead.
“I’m going to feed you lots of those pain pills.”
Willow leaned her head on Tara’s shoulder.
“I can’t believe my parents tried to kidnap me. I wish they’d stop thinking they know what’s best for me better than I do.”
Tara rubbed Willow’s opposite arm comfortingly. She held back her true opinion.
“If they felt anything like I did I’m sure they were just scared out of their minds.”
“They could have asked me,” Willow reasoned, her voice drifting off to another place again.
“They should have,” Tara agreed, quickly wanting to drop the issue, “But you’re home now. And you could use another little rest. I’ll go make some dinner while you sleep.”
She fluffed Willow’s pillow and kissed her as she fixed the blanket. Miss Kitty jumped on the bed and Tara plucked her up so she wouldn’t crawl over Willow.
She carried Miss Kitty out to the living room and decided to play with her for a few minutes before starting dinner. She could use the de-stressing as she thought of how Willow’s parents, particularly Sheila, had acted over the past 24 hours.
She rolled her eyes but let that be it — she wouldn’t be the one who came between Willow and her parents.
So adorable! 
I really wanted to pummel Sheila after reading this!!
me too, Will, me too. 
Awww Willow, you don't mean that!
Thank you. That means so much.
