This is a work of fiction, using characters from the film, “Proof of Life”.  No insult or invasion of privacy or infringement of copyright is intended. The story is for readers over the age of 18 only, and contains adult language. The writer is not responsible for any "discomfort" caused to the reader by this language and these situations.

Full Length Of The River

©2008 by: Darrin

Chapter Fifteen

Saturday morning came, waking Terry up as the sunlight found a crack in the blinds to caress his eyes open.  He found himself holding Stephanie’s naked body against his, an arm around her and his hand covering one of her breasts, the other stretched under her neck, holding her hand with his.  He felt his length becoming rigid against her bum, stretching to its fullness just as his grin was stretching across his face.

No nightmares, he thought, thank fuck.  He almost laughed out loud at the pun.

He kneaded her breast gently, kissing her earlobe.  He heard her take a deep breath and then felt soft kisses on his arm.  He pulled her onto her back and under him, pressing her legs apart with his knee and settling into his favourite position between them.  She opened her eyes and smiled up at him, receiving his kiss sleepily.

“In me,” she whispered.

“Yes, ma’am,” he replied and wet his length against her cunnie which was already heated and moist – Just for me, he thought with a cocky grin – then thrust into her slowly but firmly.

They kissed again as Terry moved inside her, back and forth, easy and gentle at first then as she began writhing in need beneath his body, faster and just a little harder.  He still wanted to be careful with her, but would go as far she wanted him to, just the same.  Their bodies meshed together, moving for one purpose.

“Come with me, T,” she whispered to him, panting towards her release.

“Yes,” he answered, feeling it already himself.  He liked taking his time normally, but her responsiveness was getting to him.  Quickies are good too, went swiftly through his mind and then he stopped thinking as her cunnie crushed around him and the blood rushed through his body and with a cry in his ears and spasms around his cock spurring him on, Terry felt his climax overtake him and he thrust into her with each pulse of his cock inside her.  He growled at her as he came, his entire mind focused on what they were doing, how good it felt and how hard their hearts were beating.

He looked down at her, the two of them panting and grinning at each other.  She had so much love in her eyes for him it made his heart ache.  He caressed her face, watching as her eyes teared up and spilled over onto her temples and slid gently into her hair.

“Shh, it’s okay, Steph,” he whispered gently.

She nodded.  “I know,” she said with a little sniff.  Then winced, making Terry’s brow furrow.

“Did I hurt you?” he asked very softly.

“N-no…”

“Steph…”

“It’s a good hurt,” she said.  “It’s like I’m waking up from a really long and really bad dream and my body’s already woken up and been working on without me.”

“Sheilas are really strange sometimes,” Terry said with a chuckle.  “How can anything that hurts you there be a good thing?”

Stephanie shrugged.  “I dunno.  It hurts in a way that isn’t painful, I guess.”

Terry just laughed and kissed her.  “Come on, Dino’ll be here soon with donuts cuz it’s Saturday.  We do not need to have him come barging in while we’re post-coital.”

Steph giggled and they made their way to the bathroom, kissing and cuddling all the way through washing and getting dried off.  Steph went to her room to get dressed and Terry joined her soon after to redress the two wounds on her back still needing bandages.  It was Maggie’s day off and Terry reminded himself he’d need to keep an eye out for anything Steph might need a little more diligently today.

A short while later, Dino did come barging in, quite disappointed they were dressed.

“Aw, man, I brought my video camera!” was the next thing out of his mouth as they emerged from the hallway to his boisterous greeting of “Donuts!”

“Bloody arsehole, I will not fuel your deranged fantasy life.”

“Pal, you couldn’t come close to what I think about, you and your pedestrian ways…”

Terry laughed hard at that.  “I will not be baited, mate.”

“Princess Stephanie will get the tales one day, hermano.”

“You are just such a bastard,” Terry said and put his hands over Steph’s ears.  She giggled and pulled one hand to her mouth, kissing the palm and then went to open the pink box.  She grinned and pulled a maple bar out and began eating immediately, grabbing one of the coffees from the tray.  Dino and Terry looked at each other and the question in Dino’s eyes turned to a grin on his face.

“So all you needed was a good lay, huh, Princess?”

“DINO!”  Stephanie blushed a deep crimson and Terry rolled his eyes.  Then she giggled and said, “T is a good lay, so there.”

Dino’s and Terry’s eyes bulged simultaneously and then they both burst out laughing.  Terry took a swing at Dino’s arm which Dino playfully blocked.  “You’ve been teaching my sheila some of that language of yours, you goblin.”

“I did no such thing, she came up with that one all her own.”

Laughing, the two men followed Stephanie into the living room, donuts and coffee in hand finding some mindless telly to watch while they had brekkie and chatted.  At one point Terry gestured to Dino that he needed to make a call and Dino nodded, understanding that Terry wanted him to keep Stephanie from overhearing it.  Terry nodded, kissed Stephanie and whispered he’d be right back and headed to his bedroom.  He saw her watch him closely as he entered the hallway but knew Dino would keep her distracted.

He dialed Dan’s number.  “Dan?  It’s Terry Thorne again.  Need to update you on something my partner found out last night.”

“Sure thing, how’s Stephanie?”

“She’s… uh, doing great actually.”

“That’s good to hear, how’ve the nightmares been going?”

“Well, she had a horrific one night before last, couple actually, wasn’t sure we’d make it through the night without calling you, but we gave her some meds and that helped.  She wasn’t too happy about it though, woke up real depressed yesterday morning.”

“But you got through it?”

“Uh… yeah.”  Terry didn’t think there was anything that could make him blush anymore and realized he was wrong as he felt the heat in his cheeks.

“Really?  That’s great, how’d you manage it?”

“Uh, well… We uh…”

Dan laughed.  “Okay, that’s not really any of my business then.  But could be only temporary, okay, Terry?”

“Yeah, I gotcha.  But it was good to have her sleep through the night finally.”

“I bet.  So what’s this news?”

“Well, I told you about her flat.  But then later last night, Dino, that’s my partner, he found a flyer for a nightclub and had one of our operatives check it out.  Turns out she was really trying to move on.  She’d been going there a few times a week, bartender knew her and everything.  Reckoned she had a crush on the drummer or something.”

“Well, that’s good news.”

“Yeah, I thought so too.  Thought maybe instead of her flat, we might take her there instead to help bring her memory back.  Though it goes against what I’d like to do, I’d rather she just never remember.”

“I know, Terry and part of me actually agrees with you.  But it’s not the doctor part.  As her doctor, I have to say that we need to get rid of these nightmares and this is part of it.”

Terry sighed.  “Yeah, I know, mate.  It’s why I’m calling.  I know they’ll start up again soon enough because her subconscious is trying to tell her what her conscious is trying to keep hidden.”

“Exactly.  And it’ll get worse and worse until she has a breakdown or until she remembers.  This sounds like a positive way to reintroduce her to her life.  And with you there, it might still be rough, but you’ll be an anchor for her.  I think what would work out best though, is if I was there as well, just as a guide if needed.  She doesn’t have to know unless I’m needed.  I can sit in a corner and observe.”

“That sounds like a good plan.  When should we set it up?”

“What nights did she normally go?”

“Let me find out.  Hang on.”  Terry put Dan on hold and dialed Joyce’s direct line.  After getting the information from her, he brought Dan’s call back up.  “Wednesday, Thursday and Friday.”

“Okay, then, this Wednesday.  I’ll book my time out to you between nine and ten, shall we say?”

“Yeah, that works, we’ll bring her there around nine-thirty.”

“Good deal, I’ll see you then, just email the address to me and I’ll find it.”

“Goodo, see ya then, doc.”

Terry hung up and sighed, staring at the rumpled bed in front of him.  He’d made love to her three times in that bed already and she hadn’t had a single nightmare.  He wished he could just ignore the problem and keep on making love to her and keep on sleeping the night through, but he knew that wasn’t going to happen.  He needed to get her whole and well again no matter what.  It was the only way they would be able to start fresh and be together without anything haunting her dreams.

It still disturbed him deeply that his sheila had been forced to live through two major traumas.  The camp had been horrific for her, this he knew.  He didn’t even want to think about the rest of it.  He wondered at the iron will she possessed to get to this point.  He wondered if he were enough for her and resolved to be everything she needed and more.  Stephanie Jasper would be spoilt rotten from now on.  That he promised himself.

He rejoined Dino and Stephanie and declared it Serendipity day.  They’d grab a cab and get some ice cream at the little shoppe and then anything else Steph wanted to do.

“Really?  I can choose?”

“Yes, as long as it’s something outdoors.  You’ve been cooped up far too long, young lady.”

Steph blushed and giggled.  “Okay, T.  Dino, can you come too?”

“Of course, Princess.  You’re both blessed with my presence until nine o’clock.  And then I’m going to go get laid myself.”

That made Steph blush and giggle again and Terry to once again roll his eyes, declaring his best friend as completely “off”.  They got ready to go and soon were headed down to the little ice cream shoppe on 60^th.

Thus began a five day holiday of sorts for Stephanie.  Terry made sure she was well taken care of every step of the way.  After sundaes at Serendipity, they went for a long walk through Battery Park and the surrounding area.  Then dinner at the Stage Door deli.  Once Dino left them to “go get laid and then some”, Terry and Stephanie went to a movie at Rockefeller Centre.

Sunday saw them in Central Park, first a carriage ride and then a picnic.  Of course they had to visit the food fair one block over and Terry groaned that he really must begin jogging again.  So Monday morning as soon as Maggie arrived, the two of them began their new routine, Stephanie biking alongside Terry as he ran through Central Park.  Then back to the flat for brekkie, after which Terry put in some hours on his laptop for work while Stephanie wrote in her journal.  Terry, Dino and Maggie all encouraged Stephanie to decide on a hobby she’d like to take up and so Monday she searched the internet for things she thought she might like to do and latched onto photography.  That afternoon, Terry took her to a shop nearby to set her up with her own equipment: camera, computer and printer so that Tuesday and Wednesday while Terry worked, Steph was able to explore what she wanted to do and what would be needed.

Each morning and each night they’d make love more and more passionately.  Stephanie became more inquisitive of her own limits and Terry followed her lead as to what she’d be able to handle.  Wednesday morning they made love in the shower.  When Terry hefted her onto his hips and entered her, he saw a shadow pass over her eyes and she stiffened briefly in his arms but when he asked her if they needed to stop she shook her head.  He wished he could read her mind, know what he could or should do, but he was getting very good at reading her eyes and they crossed each hurdle together.  He wished it could just always be as it was, but already Wednesday morning he’d been awakened by her soft whimper in her sleep instead of the sun and he knew that they’d soon be back to waking up to screams every night.

He could only hope that tonight’s plan would help move them in the right direction.

During this time, Dino kept him apprised of what was happening with the case.  The FBI had interrogated the ship’s doctor and managed to send a team down to South America to locate the compound.  Through further investigation, they found the splinter group.  However, they were then at a roadblock.  They had nothing to prove these men had killed David’s sister or tortured Stephanie and no way of gathering evidence to that end due to lack of jurisdictional rights.  That’s when Dino’s contact “leaked” the location and other details.  Dino and Terry agreed to contact David to bring him into the loop.

The emails flew fast and furious throughout Monday and on into Tuesday.  Terry watched as his best friend orchestrated with great finesse a plan that would get them into the splinter group’s compound to gather evidence and confirm they were after the right assholes.  David helped Dino organize a crew and Dino was scheduled to fly back out to California that weekend.  Terry was itching to join in.  He wanted nothing more than to gut each and every one of these fucks who’d tried to take away everything from his sheila.  If he couldn’t get his hands on the cunts who’d done it to her first, he sure as fuck wanted at these assholes.

But sitting and watching her sleep Tuesday night convinced him he simply couldn’t.  He had to choose between revenge, between the absolute certainty that these subhuman slugs needed to be wiped off the face of the earth and the equal absolute certainty that his Stephanie would never survive his being away.  He laid back down behind her, gathered her gently into his embrace and smelled her scent and knew he couldn’t do it to her.  Couldn’t do it to himself, either.

Such a short time, but yet he found he needed her as much as she needed him.  All his life he’d been looking for this kind of love and didn’t even know it.  He had to stay with her.

And besides, I hate the field, he thought, grinning to himself.

So it was that Wednesday he got another email from Dino, privately assuring him that if he so much as thought about joining them he’d slice his balls off.

“Ow,” Terry said, chuckling to himself and answered the red-haired goblin that he would stay on the royal personal guard and for him stay fucking safe.  Then a final confirm of their plans for tonight.

The rest of the day was more spoiling of the Princess.  Terry was enjoying this holiday as much as Steph was.  She was happy, outgoing and even though the occasional haunted look would pass over her face, Terry could see the girl she wanted to be, had been trying to be despite everything.  He still wondered at her fortitude, didn’t know what it was that had kept her persevering… then in a flash it came to him.  Why he had fallen so hard for her and she for him.

They were cut from the very same cloth, though from opposite ends of the bolt to be sure, they were the same.

With the right training, I bet she could be SAS, Terry mused, smiling at her over sandwiches at the local deli they’d begun to frequent regularly.

He smiled at her, feeling his cock thickening at just the look of her, his happy little sheila enjoying her life.  He wrestled with breaking that spell, but knew there was no choice.  He had to follow the plan or their life would never be free of her terror.

“So, Steph, how about a club tonight?  Enjoy a little music, some cocktails, maybe a dance or two?”

“That sounds like fun, T, do you know a place?”

“Yeah, I have somewhere in mind.”

“Okay, let’s do that then!”

“Well, if we’re going out tonight, then you need a new outfit.  Let’s finish up here and go over to that dress shop I saw you eying the other day on the way home from our run.”

Steph ducked her head down, blushing but smiling.  “T, I don’t need anything new to wear.  You’ve bought me so many things already.  I feel like a kept woman.”

Terry took her hand in his and kissed the palm softly.  “I like keeping you, babygirl.  I like you being mine.”  That made her giggle and Terry laughed.  “That’s settled then.  All finished?”  At her nod, he left some cash for their lunch and they made the quick walk over to the shop.

An hour and several outfits later, Terry and Stephanie had agreed on a little all-black number, though Steph took some convincing to wear an all-black dress, agreeing with a blushing giggle once Terry pointed out that he loved how much of her cleavage he could see.  The gentle caress to that part of her anatomy when the sales clerk wasn’t looking, helped too.  Shoes, jewelry and lingerie were added and with all their purchases, Terry and Stephanie returned to the flat to get some dinner and then ready for their night out.

Terry’s heart was beating with the same hard but steady rhythm he would get before every mission.  He was actually grateful for this because his gut wasn’t making a heavy knot in his stomach or the hairs stand up on the back of his neck.  Apprehensive but not worried.  That was a good sign.

When Stephanie came out to the living room where he was waiting for her, he caught his breath in a quiet gasp.  Beneath his babygirl’s exterior had been lurking a beautiful woman.  Her black hair cascaded down her back across bare shoulders, her make up simple but elegant.  The shoes, earrings and necklace were perfect additions.  She accepted his appraisal with a blush, but proudly smiling too.  He had a brief vision of her taking great care to look this good each night she had prepared to go out to this club and again felt himself rocked with the knowledge that she had spent so much time in the camp unable to even do the simplest thing to make herself feel better.  SAS, hell, he thought, she could have been an operative for MI6.

“Maybe I should be in a tux and taking you to a grand ball,” Terry said with a chuckle, “or maybe I should just rip that off you and ravage you all night long.”

“T!  That’s naughty!”  And with the giggle that came with it, he saw his sweet little sheila once again.

Terry absolutely loved the female of the species and he realized that one of the many reasons was this perfectly seamless dichotomy they could give a man.  Kitten and panther in one sleek package.

Dino texted just then saying he was downstairs holding a cab for them so they headed down for their night out.

When they arrived, Terry scanned the room, quickly seeing Dan but not acknowledging him at all.  Dan retreated further into the corner booth he’d found and Terry steered Stephanie far from where he was, but choosing a table that would be within his line of sight, making sure Stephanie’s back was to him, even though he truly could barely be seen at all.  Dino went and got two beers and a vodka tonic for them.  When he set the glass in front of Stephanie, she stared at it for a long time.

Terry leaned in close to her.  “Everything all right, luv?”

There was a faraway look in her eyes, the one he remembered from that night in the kitchen when she recounted some of the horrible details she’d experienced in the camp.  She finally nodded and took a sip of the drink then began to slowly look around the room.  Dino and Terry exchanged a look, ready for anything now.  When she saw the band members on the small stage prepping for the show, Terry saw her knuckles get white as they grasped her glass harder.

Terry slipped an arm across her shoulders and kissed her temple.  “Still okay, sweetheart?” he whispered in her ear.

“Y-yes… N-no… I-I don’t kn-know,” she stuttered.

“I’m right here, babygirl,” he replied.  “If something’s wrong, just hang onto me.  I’m right here.”

Stephanie nodded but her eyes were riveted on the band.  Her breathing was increasing with every intake of air.  Terry became concerned she’d hyper-ventilate.

“T-T…  Wh-what is this… Oh, God…”

“Are you remembering something, luv?”  She nodded and Terry held onto her tightly.  “Shh, it’s okay to remember.  I’m right here, I’m not gonna let go of you, ever.  Gonna hold onto you and you can stay with me and tell me what it is and we’ll work it out, promise.  Just relax, tell me what you remember.”

“T-too m-much… T-too b-b-big… C-can’t…”

The pain in her eyes was too much for Terry to let her take.  As he shh’d her, he shot a look to Dino and as if they were in the middle of battle, they read each other expertly, Dino grabbing her drink from her and making eye contact with Dan across the room then clearing a path for Terry as he hustled Stephanie out of the club.  Before they made it though, Terry heard Stephanie get out the word, “S-sick!” and turned them abruptly to the ladies’ room.  There was a line, but Dino got everyone out of the way and Terry got Stephanie into a stall where she was violently ill.  Between indelicately gagging into the loo, she was crying loudly and, Terry felt, almost angrily.

Dino and a tall redhead who had been waiting for the next open stall, got wet paper towels to hand to Terry who helped Stephanie clean up as he could.  He could tell she just wanted to crawl into a corner, but he couldn’t let her do that.  She had to face it.  He didn’t want it for her, but there wasn’t any choice.  At least not one he knew either of them would be able to live with.

When Stephanie seemed like she could be moved, Terry growled a quick, “Outside!” to Dino and they once again headed for the entrance, Dino once more making a hole for them to get through.  They found Dan there with a cab at the ready.  The three of them bundled Stephanie into it and the driver joined the traffic once Dino gave him the address to Terry’s flat.

Stephanie meanwhile was curled around Terry in an all-too-familiar position.  She was weeping now, stiff in Terry’s arms and hitting his back.  “M-m-make it st-st-stop, T… Please!”

Terry looked to Dan.  “What do I do?” he whispered, knowing the answer.

“Tell her it’s okay, she has to get through this,” Dan whispered back.

Terry nodded tightly, suddenly wishing to fuck he’d been selfish enough to never agree to this.  “Shh, babygirl, it’s okay, it’s okay to remember.  It’s over, it’s not gonna happen again, but it’s gonna be okay to remember cuz I’m right here, I’ve got you and I’m never letting go.”  Dan nodded and Terry felt a sudden hatred for the man who was making his sheila go through this.  Stupid, unwarranted hatred.

Dan must have seen it in his eyes and smiled at him.  Terry felt immediate shame and pushed all his own feelings aside.  He needed to concentrate on Stephanie, she was always all that mattered.

Just then Stephanie let out an agonized wail and started kicking, pushing herself away from Terry and up against the other side of the cab.  The driver shouted something at them which Dino dealt with and Dan grabbed Terry from trying to get her back into his arms.

“Wait… Wait and see first, Terry.”

“Fuck, Dan, this is tearing her apart!”

“Terry, if she thinks you’re anyone she’s remembering, you’ll hurt her more, patience, okay?  See where she is first.”

Stephanie was curled into a fetal position on the seat in front of him, crying out, “No!” over and over and Terry grit his teeth wanting to just gather her up and tell her to forget everything except being his.

They arrived at Terry’s flat at last and Dan nodded that Terry could pick her up to get her upstairs.  Inside, Terry was fleetingly aware of the doorman asking Dino if they needed an ambulance or anything, Dan telling him no, they’d be okay and then the elevator door opened and he stepped in, Dino and Dan slipping in at the last second.

In Terry’s flat, he sat with her on the sofa, Dan taking a chair nearby, listening to Stephanie intently and Dino fetching a cool damp cloth and water for her to drink once she could.  Dan directed him to add some sugar to it and told Terry to tell her who he was.  Terry was more than happy to do that and began a litany of whispering in Steph’s ear, “Shh, babygirl, it’s Terry, it’s T, I’ve got you, I’m not letting go.”

Stephanie kept writhing in Terry’s arms as if she was in pain and repeating over and over, “No, not again… gone, no…”

“Tell it’s okay to remember,” Dan advised.  Terry shook his head but did it anyway.

“Go where you need to, luv.  I’m right here with you, I’ve got you, nothing can hurt you this time, it’s just memories.  You can remember them, it’s okay, just come back to me, I’m right here, Terry, holding you forever, Stephanie, I promise.”

Terry could feel her relaxing a little in his arms, but still fighting something.  She cried harder.  “No!  Dead… no…”

“Tell her she can bring Jasmine back with her, that it’s okay.”

Terry raised his eyebrow, but followed Dan’s lead.  “Steph, you can remember Jasmine, I’ll love her too, I’ll always love you and Jasmine, you’re both mine.”

Stephanie let out another cry and slumped in Terry’s arms, breathing heavily.  Terry continued to brush her hair with his fingers, rubbing her back and gently whispering in her ear that everything was going to be all right and that he’d never let her go.

Stephanie cried.  It tore Terry apart to hear the anguish in her sobs.  He had never felt so helpless in his life, Mr Fix Everything, Always-in-Control Terence Thorne, now completely unable to fix anything, to help the one person in his life he loved the most.

He saw Dan’s look to him, but it was Dino who could read him best, always.

“You are helping her, hermano.  Don’t think you’re not.”  Dino patted his friend’s shoulder and in that instant Terry was able to let go a little and just do what he could.  He could hold her.  And never, never let her go.

“How could they do that to me?” came Stephanie’s tormented cry just then and Terry tightened his arms around her.

“I don’t know, Stephanie,” Terry whispered softly but sincerely.

“They took my family, they took my life… they took me.”

Dan shook his head and gave Terry a meaningful look.  Terry nodded and pulled Stephanie from him so she could see his eyes.  “No, Steph, look at me.”  Stephanie slowly brought her tearful eyes up to look into Terry’s.  “They didn’t take you.  You’re here with me, you’re mine.  No one will ever take you away from me, remember that.  You remember I promised you that since I found you.”  It wasn’t a question, but Stephanie nodded slowly and Terry saw Dan smile in his peripheral vision and pushed forward.  “You have a new life and a new family now and no one’s ever going to take any of that away from you.”

“O-o-kay, T,” she whispered and snuggled back into his arms, crying once more.

There was silence in the room for the longest time, broken only by Stephanie’s sobs.  Dino got everyone a beer and Terry made Stephanie sip some of her sugar water between swallows of beer for himself.

Finally, Dan said softly, “How are you feeling, Stephanie?”

“Sad.”  Silence for a bit then, “Scared.”  Quiet once more then finally, “Better.”

“That’s good.  I want you and Terry to come to my office tomorrow afternoon so we can talk about what you remembered, okay?”

Stephanie thought for a long while, then said, “Okay.”  She hitched in a long breath, letting it out with a sigh.  Terry felt her tighten her hold on him even more.  “So I don’t keep being sad and scared, right?”

“That’s right.  We’ll talk a lot and work through it together, the three of us.”

“O-okay.”  Stephanie sighed.

“Good.  I’ll see you both tomorrow then, around two.  I’ll let you get some rest now though.  And don’t be sad if you need to take the pills to sleep tonight.  You’ve had a very hard night and if you need something to help you sleep, that’s okay.”

Stephanie nodded and Terry did as well.  Dan got up and shook Terry’s hand, then patted Steph’s shoulder and Dino walked him to the door.  They had a short conversation and Dino returned to the sitting area to grab a seat near Terry and Stephanie on the sofa.

“How about some popcorn and a movie?” Dino said casually.

Terry chuckled in spite of how he was feeling.  “Whaddaya reckon, luv?” he asked Steph, looking down at her where she was resting her head against his chest.  He saw a ghost of a smile pass over her face and nodded to Dino.  “Let’s get you into some more comfy clothes while Dino does the popcorn and we’ll figure out a movie to watch, sound good?”  Steph nodded and the three of them went about their tasks.

A short while later found them all back on the sofa, Steph in her pajamas, her little teddy bear tucked under her chin, safely ensconced on Terry’s lap while he and Dino munched popcorn from the large bowl on the cushion between the two men.  Terry wasn’t surprised to see Stephanie not eating, but he did make her finish her water and a ginger ale for good measure.  Dino had found a light romantic comedy, a rarity in Terry’s collection.  It was just right to defray the evening’s events.

Stephanie soon fell asleep though and the two men sat quietly together.

“Thanks, Dino,” Terry finally said.

“Nothin’ to thank me for, pal.  You’d do the same for me.”

There was quiet again and then Terry sighed.  “She’s gonna be okay,” he said.

“’Course she is.  She’s got you and me and Maggie.  And I’m gonna slice those fuckers up good when we get down there.  And you say the word and we’ll take care of the Minnesota cocksuckers too.”

“Good to know.  I just don’t know.  I don’t know about this whole closure stuff, Dino.  How do you put paid to something of this magnitude?”

Dino shook his head.  “Dunno.  Can’t, I guess.  Just keep getting through each day until it’s easier and easier to do.”

“Yeah.”  Terry sighed again and looked down at the sleeping sheila on his lap.  “Okay, couch or Steph’s bed?”

“Bed, I need my sleep.”

The two men chuckled and said good night in the hall.  Terry took her into his bedroom, gently laid Stephanie on his bed, closed the door and undressed, pulling on a pair of pajama bottoms, not sure why, just instinctively felt it was best.

He climbed in behind Stephanie and wrapped himself around her, hoping she’d know it in her sleep and feel safe.

And prayed desperately for no nightmares.

Chapter Sixteen