Life on a Printed Plane

Greta, one of the nurses on the morning shift, knocked on the door, propping the door as she entered, she came in asked, "Soah?  Your quiet hours are over now, are you ready for your sign to be removed?"

"Yes please.  How much longer until lunch, I am getting really hungry."  To punctuate Soah's words, her stomach gave a large growl.  Giggling at her stomachs input to the conversation, "See, I told you 'we' are hungry!"  Pointing to her stomach as she said we.

"You have at least an hour before lunch is brought up.  Did you finish all of your snacks?"  Greta walked over to Soah's gift bag that stored her snacks.  Looking in and seeing only a small bag of gummy bears.  "How about if I send one of the candy stripers down to the cafeteria and have them bring you lunch?  I can call down and find out what the special is today."

"Um, I need to check to see how much money I have left first."  Getting carefully out of bed Soah went to the wardrobe to get her bag.  Fishing around for her wallet, Soah heard footsteps behind her, and turned to see who it was.

"Morgan!  Hi!"

"Hi there Soah!  Are you hungry?  I come bearing food."

"Starved!"

"Come sit down, let's eat!"

"Well, since you have the hungry problem fixed, I'll leave you two alone."  As Greta left the room, she pulled the door shut, and decided to leave the sign up to give them some privacy.  Over the past four days, she had noticed a growing attachment between those two.  If Soah's shining eyes were any indication of her feelings, she felt more for him than just friendship.  And that Morgan boy, if he wasn't in love with her, then she had never seen love before!  Maybe with some private time, they would finally be able to work out their feelings for each other, to each other.

Carefully, slowly, Soah walked over to Morgan, and looked up into his face.  A quivery smile washed across her face, shivers trembled up and down her back.  Haltingly, Soah reached over and gave Morgan a feather light hug.  Fear of rejection rushing thru her veins, causing her to quake.  Before Soah could step back away from Morgan, he returned her hug.

"I love hugs.  That didn't hurt you when I hugged you, did it?"

Scarlet with embarrassment, eyes glued to the floor, Soah's voice seemed to be broken and she shook her head, no.

Lightly putting his fingers under her chin, he tilted her head up, looking into her eyes.  "Hey now, no need to be all embarrassed, friends hug.  And we are friends, so no worries, right?  Let's eat!  Do you need any help getting back into bed?"

"Nope, I just move very slowly.  I have to remember not to twist at all.  Both my ribs and my burns complain if I do."  Cautiously Soah got sat down on the side of the bed, and then lifted her feet up, kicking her slippers off as they left the floor.  "Tada!  Mission accomplished!"

"Go Soah!  You are getting better at that!  Do you want gifts first or food?  Or do you just want me to decide?"  All three boys, and the adults had a session with Dr. Fisher.  He had explained to them that she did not grow up in the same world they did.  And what would not seem like a big decision to them, could seem overwhelming to Soah.  Not understanding what they wanted, caused her fear, which they should try to avoid.  When offering her a choice, always offer an escape clause, allow her to choose not to choose.

Soah's eyes were wide, looking up at Morgan as if the answer he wanted was written somewhere on his face.  "Um, you, could you choose?"  Adding to her embarrassment, her stomach decided to make the decision for her, and growled loudly.

"Ladies and gentlemen, we have an answer, and it is food!  Good, because I am fainting from hunger!  We have chicken salad sandwiches with grapes and apple and strangely enough, coconut.  It sounds so odd, but tastes so good!"  As he was talking he was unpacking a cooler and placing the food on the table he placed between them.  Setting out four sandwiches, pasta salad, potato chips, and soda.

"Really? Coconut in chicken salad, you are right it sounds odd.  But, most of the food Dave fed me, I didn't recognize, and loved every bite.  I am willing to give it a try."

"Oh, man, you didn't tell me you were lucky enough to score one of Mrs. Li's dinners!  I am officially, and absolutely jealous!  That lady knows her way around a stove that is for sure."  Morgan knew Soah would never reach for any of the food, and would sit there and wait for him to allow her to eat.  Morgan pushed a container of salad a fork, two of the sandwiches and a bag of chips to Soah.  "Do you want soda?  Or would you rather have water?"

"Soda sounds really good, thanks."  Soah unwrapped one of the sandwiches on her side of the table, and took a small questioning bite.  Chewing and tasting, her face lit up, "Ooh, this is so good!  Yum!  Could you please open the soda for me?  I have trouble gripping anything tightly with this iv in my hand."

"Sure, no prob.  I'll open the salad and chips for you too.  How much longer will you be in the hospital?"

"Well, a few more days at least.  I am still getting my skin abraded each day, it hurts but somehow feels better afterwards.  But, then I move to a different room for a while.  Dr. Fisher said I need to..... um..... adjust.... to my new life..... before he will let Sam and Cecile take me...... home."  Home was said very quietly, almost a whisper.  Soah's eyes were glued tightly to the table top, and tears were beginning to leak out.

Morgan pushed the table out of his way, and gently removed the sandwich from Soah's hand.  Trying not to hurt her, he pulled her in for a cuddle.  "Soah girl, it is not gonna be like before, at all.  But, that is scary too, huh?"  Feeling Soah nod against his chest, Morgan kept talking, "All you have ta remember is that Sam and Cecile love you, and want you to be happy.  Look up here to me, please."  Soah pulled her head from Mogan's chest and looked into his eyes.  "I am not in the habit of telling lies, if I tell you something, it will be the truth.  They want you to be happy, they want you to live with them, they just plain want you.  Ok?"

"Yeah.  It just seems like, like a dream.  It feels like a dream.  One of those dreams that are so wonderful, the entire dream you are thinking, please don't wake up yet, please stay asleep, I don't ever want this to end.  I keep waiting to wake up, to.... before.   I feel, ....... off kilter.  I am happy for hours on end, but then the old reality snaps back again, and there I am, waiting to wake up, praying so hard not to."  Soah's stomach pushed into the conversation by growling again.

"I think we had better feed that wild beast!"  Morgan pulled the table back over to them, keeping Soah close against him.  Picking up her sandwich, he handed it her with a grin, "Please feed the animals!"

Giggling and teasing each other, the food seemed to vanish from the table.  After the first few bites, none of the attention was paid to what they were eating.  While their conversation never lagged, or tripped over hidden roots, not much attention was given to what was being said either.  All of their focus, all of their wonderment, all of the fluttering of their hearts, came from, was made for each other. The conversation began to unwind, to spool out, they had no more room for anything else, but to absorb each other.  Ambling to an end, the room fell into a warm quiet.  A quiet that could almost be a hug.  A wave of desire crashed over Morgan, and without stopping to think about it, he leaned down and kissed Soah.  Her heart started pounding away like it was trying to batter a hole in her chest to escape.  Lifting his hand to lay against her neck, his lips continued to urge and plead Soah's lips to answer. Befuddled and confused, she was unsure of her feelings.  In the quiet coasting between heartbeats, in a long shuttered room, love woke from a very deep sleep, and her lips answered his.  Kissing softly, warmly, deeply, pouring vast amounts of love into her, onto her desert, bringing to life, Soah.  Scooping her up, moving the table away with a foot, stretching out full length on her bed, measuring her out next to him.  Holding her softly, when every portion and part wanted nothing more than to crush her against him, and him against her.  Lips never slowing, lips never bruising, never taking, only sharing. Opening her lips to him, his tongue came tiptoeing in. Not rushing, not possessing, only sharing, on a discovery quest together. Lips resting, eyes at full warp speed work.

"Soah?" Morgan stopped speaking and began to kiss again, lightly, softly, his heart soaring as she responded to his kisses.

"Umm?"  

Pulling away enough to see Soah's face more clearly, Morgan searched for love on her face.  Needing her to love him back, needing her to need him.  Raising her gaze to his, he had his answer, love shone from her eyes.  An unformed, unsure, quaking love, but love.  Gently pulling her tighter into his embrace, he held his Soah.  His Soah!  His!

"Would you eat supper with me tonight?  Please?"

Nuzzling her nose into his chest she answered, "Yeah, I would like that a lot."

"Do you know what you would like me to bring?"

Soah pulled away from his arms, and looked up at him with a smile, "Yeah!  I want cake!  Please!  From 'The Cake Box'!  Ooh, they have the yummiest cake ever!  I like all of the flavors that Sam brought."

Chuckling at her delight over the simple pleasure of cake he said, "Well my dear, cake for dessert it is.  What else do you want to eat?"  Kissing the end of her nose made all thoughts of food vanish from his mind.  All he wanted was to kiss her forever.

"Umm, mashed potatoes with loads of butter?"

"Anything else?"

"Ok."

"You want me to choose the rest then right?  Will do."  A giant yawn stole from Soah, causing her to turn a bright shade of pink.  "Hey, no worries, remember?"  Carefully untangling himself from Soah, he sat up and reached over the side of the bed.  "Ok, gift time, then nap time.  Because you are falling asleep as it is.  Don't get up, you can open it laying down."

Soah looked at the large gift bag, it had little blue old fashioned beds all over it.  "I love the bag!  So pretty."  Reaching her hand in she encountered soft, oh so very soft.  Giving a questioning look to Morgan, she pulled out a dark chocolate blanket.  "Oooh, I love it!  I have never felt anything so soft before."

"There is more in the bag.  Keep looking."  Diving into the bag again, she found something soft and squishy, almost like a stuffed animal, but not quite.  Looking at Morgan with a confused look, he answered her question, "You will never know until you pull it out, come along then, and pull!"

Grabbing ahold of mystery gift, she pulled a pale pink pillow from the bag, and immediately hugged it to her chest.  "Best. Pillow. Ever!  Thank you so much!  I love both of them!"  Tucking the pillow behind her head, and smoothing the blanket over her, but the bottom of the blanket would not cover both of her feet.  Struggling to sit up and straighten out the stubborn blanket, Morgan moved quickly toward her to help, and startled Soah.  Soah flinched and cringed away from him, eyes wide and full of fear. Freezing instantly, steeling herself for the first blow, knowing what was coming, back to her old life, the dream was over. Seeing her cringe, seeing her flinch away from him, full of fear of him, shredded him throughly.  In one brief moment, Morgan had a glimpse of what her life had been, living in fear, living within violence, a life she had no control over.

"Oh God!  Oh God!  Soah!  I am so, so very sorry!"  Tears running down his face, Morgan slipped from the bed to slump on the floor, holding his head in his hands.  "I am so stupid, God, why am I so stupid?"

Morgan felt a hesitant hand on his hair, a cross between a pat and a stroke.  Wiping his face with shaking fingers, he slowly turned his head around, to look up at Soah.  A very white, extremely uncertain face was looking down at him.

"........you're not.. stupid......... you didn't mean.... to scare me........ it's ok............."

"Soah?"

".....yeah....."

"Umm, you do know that I could never, hurt you, right?"

"......yeah....kinda.............I... I.. it's ahh..... well... um, I know you won't hurt me......... but I have trouble believing it.........is true."

"Will you forgive me, please?"  Dropping his head back down, hating that he had ruined such a perfect day with his stupidity.

"You didn't do anything wrong. There is nothing to forgive."

Morgan twisted around, hope shining in his eyes.  A hesitant smile flickered over her lips.  Tentatively Soah asked, "Sit with me again, please?"

"Are you sure?"

Soah sat quiet and thinking for a moment, "Yes, I am sure."

Relieved that she trusted him enough to want him to sit next to her on the bed, Morgan stood and moved to sit at the foot of the bed.  He was to afraid of pushing his luck by sitting any closer, even though he missed holding her in his arms.  His arms felt so empty now, without her in them.  How could he so badly miss, something he had just found?  

"Morgan?  Why are you sitting there?  Are you mad at me?"

"Mad at you?  Hell no!  I am worried about scaring you again.  I thought it would be better for me to sit here."  All he wanted to do, was to wrap her up in his arms and never let go.

"I want.... could you please....... um, I mean ahh.........please.... sit back here with me........ again?

Happily, gratefully that she could trust him enough to want him back beside her, he slowly moved up beside her again.  Without thinking it through, Morgan scooted Soah onto his lap, holding her, relief at her still wanting him close to her, flooding his body.  For several moments, Soah sat still and stiff on Morgan's lap, afraid to move.  And then, she realized how he was holding her, as if she were something precious to him.  Something so precious that he was afraid it would disintegrate if he handled it to roughly.  At that thought, she sagged into him, drawing his warmth into her, drawing his love into her.

"Kiss?"  Morgan needed to feel her lips on his, needed to be reassured, needed to be trusted again.

"Please."  Lightly kissing, rubbing noses, cheeks against each other.  Soah's hand crept up and curled around his forearm, ruffling the hair on his arm, patting his arm.  Morgan was thrilled that Soah was initiating contact.

"Hello Soah!  Time to work on your..."  Jean stopped in the doorway surprised to see Soah sitting on the lap of a very handsome guy.  Soah seemed as embarrassed as Jean, if the color of her face was any indication.

Morgan recovered his wits quicker saying, "I am going to leave now, and bring back our supper around five.  Does that sound good to you?"

"Do you have to go?  Really?"

"Yes, I do.  And I have two really good reasons for me to leave, well actually three.  One, I will faint, I am not good with medical stuff at all!  Two, it is always nap time for you after they work on your back.  Three, if I don't leave how can I bring back cake?"  

"Ok."

"Hey now!  No sad faces!  I will be back, and that is a promise."  Morgan scooted Soah back on the bed, kissed her quickly, waved to Jean and was gone.

"Wow! You have one good looking boyfriend.  Where did you meet him?"

Giggling, eyes glowing, cheeks pink, "I know he is sooo cute!  At the skate park.  My whole life changed because of one day at the skate park."


Morgan pulled out his cell phone and called Kevin.  "Kev?  Oh, man!  I just had a top ten day!"

"Dude, what's up?"

"Kev man, I kissed Soah!  And, she kissed me back!"

"No way!  For real?"

"Oh yeah!  For real!"

"Wanna drop by?"

"Where you at?"

"Our apartment."

"Nah.  I need to run some errands and get back to Soah."

"What kinda errands?  Dave works until six tonight.  I'll go with, ya want company?"

"Hell yeah!  You want me to pick you up?  Oh, wait, that won't work, I don't have room for you and dinner on my bike."

"Then come on over.  I'll cart your ugly ass around."

"See you in ten."

Kevin pushed end, and then thought, Dave has got to know this, like now!

"Dave, got a minute?"

"Sure, for you.  What's up?"

"Morgan attained kiss level!"

"No shit?"

"No shit.  It gets better."

"Better?  Spill it dude, you are so loving the drama."

"Don't I know it.  She kissed him back!"

"Wicked cool!"

"Wicked cool?  What in the hell?  Anyway, I am going to be running around with Morgan for a bit.  He is bringing her dinner."

"Hey!  I gotta go, sorry we just got slammed.  Love ya!"

"Loves you to!"