Chapter Eighteen: The Other Half

"And I'd give up forever to touch you,
'Cause I know that you can feel me somehow.
You're the closest to heaven that I'll ever be,
And I don't want to go home right now."
-G.G.D.

The brilliant headlights flashed in their eyes momentarily blinding the leader, but a second was all that Stavros was need. Delivering a hard elbow into the man's stomach, the man doubled over in pain releasing him for his grasp and dropping him to the ground, but the dark-skinned man promptly kicked Stavros in the head knocking him out. Janice knew she shouldn't take her eyes off the raiding leader, but her concern was with Stavros who now lay unconscious at his feet.

Her hands still in the air, Janice knew this could be the end. The leader now held all the cards and if he wanted to, he could erase her existence. The car stopped a few feet in front of them, its headlights still shining directly in their faces. The car engine was switched off plunging the world into tension-filled silence. For a few heartbeats, Janice wondered if this would be her final moments on Earth, but these musing were quickly jerked from her mind when the hush was broken by the sound of the car door opening. The figure was cast in shadow, but Janice's vision could not linger for too long. A very determined and armed man still had her life in his hands.

The leader finally spoke, "What's going on? I don't like games Dr. Covington. I must have the stone." He cocked his gun and aimed directly at Janice, when suddenly, a voice pierced through the tense moment and sent a surge through her heart and soul. "Janice!" said the familiar southern drawl. The voice sailing through the air as if it were a dream.

Janice looked over toward the figure and squinted as she made out the well-known features. But as she looked back toward the man holding the gun, reality hit her squarely in the face. The dark-skinned leader had changed his target. The moments seemed to stretch out into an infinite eternity as her hand went behind her back and quickly drew out the gun, cocking it as it made her way in front of her, but she was too late. A single shot rang out and shattered the glass of the open car door. Janice fired twice at the leader, finally hitting him in the thigh with the second shot. Screaming in pain, the leader dropped to the ground and tried in a final act of desperation to reach for the gun in front of him that was knocked out of his hand from the force of the bullet, but Stavros, finally conscious, grabbed the gun away.

Dropping the gun on the ground, Janice ran the short distance to the open car door shouting at the top of her lungs, the one name she had not said out loud in almost a month, "MEL!" The radiance of the headlights provided an eerie glow to the pitch-dark night surrounding them on all sides, but Janice was only interested in one thing at this moment, checking to see if Mel was all right. As she approached, she saw Mel standing straight, her shoulders pushed back, and her eyes locked on the ground below her. The dirt was now littered with shards of broken glass from the raider's bullet. Janice's feet made loud crunching noises as she took two steps forward and paused in front of the dark haired woman. She felt as if all this was happening in a dream and if she reached out to touch her, she would just disappear.

"Janice, I..." she said softly. And it was Mel who finally moved her body from behind the car door and instantly wrapped Janice in a hug.

Janice was taken aback by the force of Mel's body almost losing her balance and falling backward, but she regained her posture and started to hug back inhaling the familiar perfumed smell and she then knew that all of this was real. Melinda, the woman whom she loved more than life itself, was standing here in her arms and Janice couldn't help but close her eyes and smile. "Mel, what..." But she couldn't find the words, instead, she wrapped her hands around Mel's shoulders. Engulfed in her warmth, Janice suddenly felt like she had come home. The dull aching within her heart finally found relief and the void that had haunted her for so long slowly disappeared with each passing second.

Her hand gently brushed against her shoulder wiping away some beads of sweat she found there, but she soon realized that something did not feel right. Rubbing her fingers together, Janice realized that the sweat was thick, warm and incredibly sticky, and it continued to flow through her fingers. Finally separating from Mel's embrace, Janice brought her hand in front of her face. Blood. Her hands were covered in blood. Removed from Janice's protective embrace, Mel lost her balance and her body slumped forward into Janice.

Janice shouted in pain not born of physical suffering, but out of a deeper emotional agony. Her pain was nonetheless very real. She steadied Mel's fall and gently laid her on the ground. Her white cotton shirt was stained with blood, as was Janice's own shirt. She had already lost consciousness. Through the tears welling up in her eyes, Janice tore open her shirt and saw a deep bullet wound just below her left shoulder blade. Ripping a sleeve off her shirt, Janice quickly applied pressure to the wound and shouted for Stavros to get the truck. Blood now began to soak the ground below her, but Janice continued to press. She knew that the wound was serious and if they did not get the bleeding under control, she could....but Janice didn't want to think about that. The thought of losing Mel now was too much. Instead, she carefully lifted Mel off the ground and cradled her in her arms continuing to apply the pressure to her shoulder.

She was sobbing now. Holding her close, Janice looked down and carefully removed Mel's glasses from her face tucking them into her own shirt pocket. She stared down and moved some stray lock of hair away from her face before grabbing Mel's hand in her own tenderly interlacing their fingers. Mel suddenly regained consciousness with a jerk and shouted in pain. Janice squeezed her hand and tried with all her strength to regain her composure. "Mel, oh god Mel," she breathed in, sounding as if she was gasping for air, "why are you here? Why? Why did you come here?"

Mel lifted her hand out of Janice's grasp, and put it on the side of Janice's face and with her thumb, she gently wiped away the tears. Looking into her blue eyes, Janice could not help, but cry more. Mel swallowed and softly smiled, "Because, you're here! And that's all the reason I could ever need."

Janice rested her hand on top of the soft skin of Mel's hand and took it from her cheek turning it before pressing her lips against her palm thereby reaffirming and sealing some long unacknowledged but very present bond that continually flowed between them from some unknown, deeply rooted force. She felt it flow through her now as she held her lips to Mel's palm comforted in the fact that she found a steady heartbeat on the tips of her fingers. Janice wiped the tears with the back of her hand and inhaled sharply before leaning down and kissing the top of Mel's forehead before saying, "you're going to be okay. I'll never let anything happen to you again. I promise." Janice felt a hand on her shoulder and realized that Stavros had the truck ready. Janice gently lifted Mel off the ground, cradling her in her arms, and it was then that Janice could see that she had lost consciousness again. With Stavros behind her, Janice ran toward the truck and climbed into the back with Mel, still gently holding her against her own body. Placing her jacket beside her, Stavros quickly climbed into the driver's seat and hit the gas. As they began to pull away, four military vehicles pulled in front of the truck. Stavros quickly yelled in Greek that he had an injured woman in the back. One of vehicles quickly pulled in front of the old truck providing an escort back to their military infirmary.
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"I don't know if you can hear me, but...but," she stumbled with her words and finally leaned into her ear touching her forehead against Mel's, "I'm so sorry." She wiped her eyes again. "I wish it were me. It should have been me. Just promise me you'll hang on, okay. There so many things I still need to say to you. So many things I still need to understand." Janice put her hand on Mel's cheek and touched the soft skin, her mind instantly remembering the last time she had touched her like this. "I've just found you and I'm not about to lose you."

The car made a sharp turn and jerked abruptly to a stop. She leaned in once more and whispered softly, "I love you so much." A nurse and a man dressed in a white doctor's gown climbed aboard the back of the truck and motioned for Janice to release her hold on Mel. She touched her face once more and handed her over to another man who suddenly appeared at the side of truck with a stretcher. Frantically wheeling her into the infirmary, Janice and Stavros were right behind the mob of doctors and nurses ahead of them. The doctor yelled at his nurse to clear the emergency area, which was a little room off to the side of the entrance. As they pushed the stretcher through the door, a nurse blocked off the opening by putting her hands in the air and speaking in a hushed tone telling them to wait just beyond these doors. Janice was about to push her way into the room, but was stopped by Stavros holding her back. "Come on Janice, let's do what the doctors say. You can't help her now. Come on." The nurse disappeared through the door and Janice walked up to the small glass opening in the door. She watched as two doctors peered over an unconscious and pale looking Mel. Her shirt was torn open, bloodstains caked onto her skin and the white cotton material. Janice looked down at her own hands and shirt soiled with the same bloodstains already dried into the material. Her gaze returned to the small window and watched as the doctors put an oxygen mask around her mouth and a couple of nurse readied two IV bags above her head. It should have been me, she thought to herself. It should have been me!
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She opened her eyes slightly only to be greeted by a blinding white light, but she did hear the sound of agitated voices above her head speaking in a vaguely familiar language. A heaviness in her chest suddenly made itself known. She tried to take a deep breathe, but found she could not. Her fingers started to twitch by themselves and she suddenly felt like she was floating. In a last ditch effort regain control, she tried to open her eyes fully only to find that her body had stopped listening to her brain's commands. She slowly slipped back into unconsciousness, but her last thought was of the feeling of protection she felt in the strong reassuring arms, the smell of leather against her face and the familiar soothing voice saying her name. Melinda had come home. She knew this was where she belonged. Her lips curled into a slight smile before she lost consciousness completely.
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The infirmary was one large room painted an antiseptic and ghostly pale white with several cots lining its right and left sides; a dark curtain the only source of privacy. A few men laid motionless on the few of the cots, some with bandaged appendages or heads while others were hooked up to IV bags and looked to be in more danger.

Janice had gone to a bathroom located toward the back of the complex. Washing off the dried blood on her hands, she started to breathe deeply, her heart began to race a mile a minute. Bringing some cold water to her lips, she tried to suppress the growing knot within her stomach. She felt nauseous the moment she stepped into this small hospital. Janice could usually stomach anything; she had seen more blood first hand by the time she was sixteen then most people see in an entire lifetime, but something was different this time. The pain she felt coursing through her body at this very moment did not have any physical cause nor could it have any medical cure, only when she saw that Melinda was all right would this feeling leave her body.

Looking at herself in the bathroom mirror, Janice saw a tired, drained and tear-streaked face covered in dirt, sweat and few drops of dried blood. Her hair was stuck to the side of her face in matted portions. Running the cold water again, she splashed some in her face, but it could not stop the hot tears that began to pour from her eyes. She looked down at the running water as tears rolled down her chin. Wiping them with the back of her hand, she brought more water to her face, but it didn't help. Slamming her fist against the hard porcelain sink, she let loose the emotional floodgates, the last hour finally catching up to her. She turned around and kicked the bathroom wall hard trying to release everything, trying to control some of the pain. But before long, her body was too overcome by emotion and too racked by sobs. As she slid down the wall, images of Mel's face passed through her mind's eye. She sat back wrapping her own arms around herself trying to come to grips with all the things she had witnessed. And all the things she had let happen. She could have stopped him. She could have. Her lightning fast reflexes had saved her before. She froze! It didn't matter now. She hoped Mel would make it through. She had to believe. Taking a deep breath and finally getting her emotions under control, Janice wiped her eyes dry and pushed her wet hair back before putting the hat back onto her head.

As she headed back down the narrow aisle between the cots, Janice saw the faces of the injured. All were young men. A few were asleep, some smiled at her as she passed and others looked toward the ceiling, their eyes unfeeling and completely unmoving. A doctor emerged from the small emergency room as Janice reached the area. His white gown was now stained with blood, but as she approached his face registered a warm smile. In a deeply accent voice he greeted her and asked her if she was here for the American woman. Janice nodded and he began, "she lost blood...a lot, but we removed bullet from left shoulder and stabilized condition." He paused as if searching for the right words, but Janice asked him to continue in Greek. Surprised by her knowledge of his language, he continued, "She must rest and build up her strength again, but she is recovering very well. She is strong and seems to have an intense will to live. She is still under anesthesia, but she should be awake soon." Janice shook his hand and asked politely if she could see her. After a few seconds of thought, the doctor asked her to follow him. Through the door, Janice came upon a few young nurses cleaning up the emergency room as she entered. Smiling warmly, one of the nurses pointed her toward a corner, private room off to the side. The doctor told her she could only stay a few minutes before he excused himself.

In the small, plain room, Mel lay perfectly still with one IV attached to her arm, her chest rising and falling in a rhythm that was almost hypnotic. Sitting in a hard, wooden chair near the bed, Janice gently touched her hand, interlacing their fingers, and holding it to her cheek. Her hand was warm and her face had regained its normal coloring, but Mel's normally red lips were ashen. Janice, however, still thought she was the most beautiful sight in the entire world. Taking out Mel's glasses from her shirt pocket, she lay them carefully down on the table beside her. She had so much to say to this woman, feelings she needed to express, but at this moment, staring upon the slightly pale face, she knew words were superfluous. All she wanted in the world was to just stare into those blue eyes, speaking to each other with their souls where no language was necessary. She held her hand like this for what seemed like an eternity shifting only once to move Mel's hair away from her face before leaning in to kiss her lightly on the side of the mouth.

The door opened slightly and Stavros peaked his head inside. Taking his hat off, he walked slowly toward the bed stopping beside the unmoving Janice. "The doctor said we should let her rest now." Janice could only nod slightly, but did not move. "I know how hard this must be for you, but you have to trust that she will be okay. I know how it feels to see someone you love more than your very life lying in a hospital..." He paused and swallowed, but before continuing he put a reassuring hand on her shoulder. "She loves you Janice. That's why she came here. And once she recovers, you can start the rest of your life together."

Janice still stared at Mel's unmoving form. "I can't put her in danger. And if she stays with me," she breathed in deeply, "there's no guarantee that this won't happen again. I can't do this to her. I just can't!"

A knock at the door signaled the doctor's entrance. He whispered in Greek, "Please, she needs her rest." Rising slowly from her chair, Janice kissed Mel's hand and placed it back on the bed.

A rush of cold, night air greeted her as she pushed through the emergency room's door. The ache within her returned the moment she broke contact from Mel, but she knew the doctor was right. Outside of the infirmary, a car's tires screeched; its sound only mildly registering in her mind, but she soon saw Professor Levy opening the double doors of the small complex. She was relieved that he was all right, a smile small breaking across her lips, but she was not prepared for who came through the door next.

Pushing his way forward, a tall, lean and dark haired man in gray pants and long white shirt appeared in front of the professor. Janice's senses became aware too late that the man was coming straight toward her. "You put her in here." And before she knew what hit her, the man delivered a strong uppercut to Janice's chin knocking her down to the ground. "Are you satisfied Covington! You told me back in Charleston that if I ever hurt her, you'd kill me, but why, why is it that you are the only one who keeps hurting her, huh? Can you answer that!" Charles stepped back and allowed Janice to get up off the ground. "I should have killed you..." He forcefully grabbed her by the collar before being restrained by Stavros from behind.

"Let go of her!" Stavros applied more pressure to Charles' throat, but that only seemed to enrage him more. A doctor finally stepped between Janice and Charles, and he released his grip dropping his hands to his sides.

"I'm sorry." He swallowed. Stavros released his hold. "Can I see her? Where is she?"

Janice looked at the doctor and told him to take Charles to see Melinda. The doctor took a more subdued Charles through the emergency room door.

Janice, Stavros and Professor Levy stood in silence before the latter decided to speak. "Janice, he came to the camp looking for Melinda Pappas. We could only assume that she was the woman you brought here. I'm sorry if that was the wrong thing to do."

"No. No. He's her fiancé. He has a right to see her." Janice held her chin rubbing it a few times before continuing "And I probably deserves anything he can dish out."
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Charles held his breath before he opened the door to the small room. The professor had told him that raiders had shot a woman who had apparently just arrived at the university campsite during an attack. His worst fear that the woman was in fact Melinda was confirmed when he saw Janice Covington standing near the emergency room entrance. He was overcome by a wave of anger, which he could not control which manifested itself in a single hard punch to her chin. Charles had wondered many times during his flight to Greece why Melinda had left. He could not fathom why she had left without a word and why she had decided to make this her destination. He had followed her as soon as his contacts confirmed she was indeed headed for Greece, and to the university site in particular, although it took a personal call to Dean Richardson to verify the site's location. After ten hours in flight and another three hours in ground transportation, he was tired, dirty and a bit confused as to why Melinda would return to such a desolate country. He could only assume she had a bout of cold feet, the way any normal woman would before a marriage, but she chose to sort out her feelings among what was familiar. And to Melinda what had been her life for the past few months was life among the ruins, among the simple people and as much as he hated to admit, a life and friendship with Janice. He knew in his heart however, that once she was able to recover from her injuries and once the feelings of uncertainty passed, she would follow her heart and return with him to Charleston and the life they had awaiting for them once they arrived. He had no doubt of her feelings for him, and their bond could survive anything.

He shuddered slightly upon seeing her lying motionless on the small bed, but he soon realized that she was okay. An almost empty IV bottle hung above her arm, but she was breathing on her own. Taking her hand, he stood and said a silent prayer for a complete and speedy recovery. Clearing his throat, he softly began to whisper, "I know you can hear me Melinda. And I forgive you for running away. You are scared, but I know you love me. Once we get back to Charleston, we'll have a big wedding with our friends and family. We'll be happy. We can start a family right away. You'll be the perfect wife and the best mother in the world. So please wake up. I need to see you. To kiss you. We can still make all our dreams come true." He squeezed her hand. "Please, I love you Melinda." Charles closed his eyes and bowed his head, his long journey taking a toll on him physical as well as mentally. "Please."

Mel's hand began to move in his grasp. Her fingers twitched and then gently squeezed his hand. He looked up and smiled convinced that his love and words were strong enough to bring her back from unconsciousness. Her lips began to open and close, a few low, short moans escaping. Charles leaned forward as his ears strained to hear her first words. Her voice, low and hoarse, slowly whispered, "I love you, Janice. Don't let me go, please. I love you so much." Charles sat back on his chair and let go of her hand. He swallowed trying to suppress all the feelings welling up inside of him before he got up and opened the door.
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"The leader was taken away with the others despite being shot in the leg. Nothing was taken this time, but the patrol guard is still missing and with the blood stains by the road...it doesn't look good." Professor Levy stopped and looked at the younger archaeologist's strained and pale face. "Jonathan has volunteered to delivery the family our condolences. Madaline was badly shaken, but the leader didn't do anything to her."

Janice rubbed her eyes. "Martin, I need to ask a favor. I need for you to run this dig for a while. I don't want to leave her...alone in her condition."

"Say no more," Professor Levy said cutting off her words with a curt movement of his hand. "Take care of Melinda. I knew her father a long time ago, and if she is anything like him, I'm sure she is very special."

Janice looked him squarely in the eye and without hesitation or thought she said, "She is."

The opening of the gray door leading to the emergency room interrupted the moment. Charles stepped into the cold, harsh light of the hallway, and Janice could see the pale tone to his normally tanned skin as well as dark circles underneath his brown eyes. He slowly looked over and said just slightly above a whisper, "The doctors are in with her now. I think she is coming around. She...she asked for you so I think you should go in...and see her." He swallowed and wiped his face.

Janice required no more words, and rushed passed the obviously distraught man and through the gray door. The young doctor was stepping out of Melinda's room and caught Janice's gaze. "Doctor Covington, she is still very weak and she needs her rest, but she has been asking for you."

Pushing open the door slightly, Janice saw a young nurse adjusting an IV bag above Mel's head. The nurse quietly excused herself and closed the door behind her. Janice's attention was now entirely focused on the dark haired beauty in the bed. Her form lying perfectly still as she had been before, but as she made her way toward the bed, she could see that under heavy eyelids, Mel's eyes shone brightly up at the sight of her, her mouth breaking into a weak, small smile. She opened her mouth and whispered a hoarse, "hi."

Janice held back the flood of emotion that was threatening to overtake her, suppressing it as she normally did with a lop-sided grin. Lowering herself to a kneeling position, she cautiously broke the silence that filled the room. "You had me worried there, sweetheart." Slowly, she brought her hand to the side of Melinda's face, gently brushing away a few strands of hair that were caught in the moisture of her still pale lips. The physical contact along with Mel's unwavering gaze made the moment almost too much for her. She swallowed, but found that her mouth was dry. She whispered in almost a gasp, "I thought I'd lost you."

Mel relished in Janice's tender touch, a warmth began to fill her body and the intensity of the feelings within her demanded on outlet for expression, but her body was still badly bruised, sore and weak from the events earlier in the night. She could only move her right arm slightly, but it managed to find its way to Janice's tanned face. She was amazed at how long it seemed since she looked into those sea green eyes, but she could instantly and vividly recall the last time she had looked upon her this way. Janice's last night in Charleston, the night they had kissed. Mel coughed sending pain throughout her body, but she couldn't focus on anything but the woman before her. "Now you know how I felt." Janice's face turned into a question. "When you left me in Charleston, I felt so lost. I had to find you. I need you."

Gently, Janice ran her thumb back and forth against Mel's brow, leaning in close to make sure she was catching every word Melinda's soft, calming voice was uttering. She closed her eyes and hoped all this was not some weird, ironic dream. "Mel, I need you too. But," she inhaled deeply trying to fight back the tears welling up in her eyes, "I put you in here. I did this to you. Don't you see! If it wasn't for me, you would be okay. I need you too, but I can't go on hurting you like this. It would hurt me too much. I'd rather see you safe, out of harm's way, then here with me. Maybe Charles was right...maybe..."

Mel promptly covered Janice's mouth with two long fingers sending her into an immediate silence. "You listen to me Janice Covington," she said with strong conviction. "There is nowhere I could ever be then by your side. I'm yours, Janice. I've never been anyone else's. I could never be." Her fingers now slowly stroked the side of Janice's face, wiping away the moisture being released from her eyes.

Janice caught Mel's exploring hand and held it to the side of her face as she began to cry, the tears were a mixture of sadness, happiness, joy and above all love. The emotions she suppressed the moment she left America came brimming to the surface in one overwhelming, fervent tidal wave. She tried to speak, but no words escaped her lips. Instead, Mel took the initiative. Interlacing her fingers with Janice's smaller hand, she brought their joined hands to her lips and then placed it over her heart. "I want you to promise me...promise me, no matter what happens we will go through it together. We won't ever leave each other again."

"I promise." And with this vow, Janice felt as if her destiny was sealed. The rest of the world could fall away because this was all she needed to survive. She looked at their joined hands and smiled at how they seemed to just fit together without thought or planning. Their paths had crossed one fateful day and now their paths would never be separated again. Janice looked into Mel's steady gaze before leaning in to kiss her on the forehead. "I love you, Melinda Pappas," she said simply without thought, regret or remorse, her lips lingering on the soft skin of her face.

Mel smiled at the touch of Janice's lips against her skin. "I love you, Janice Covington," she said weakly.

Janice closed her eyes as the whispered words passed Mel's lips and for the first time in a long time, she felt alive. Everything would be all right now because they were together and no force on Earth could ever separate them again. Her fingers continued to move across Mel's face in an attempt to capture every detail for future reference. "Well sweetheart, looks like you're stuck with me for the rest of your life."

"That's just the way I want it," she said as she tightened her grip on Janice's hand.
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The doctors were amazed by Mel's progress. Although she had lost a lot of blood, there was little muscle or tissue damage to her shoulder. There was a fear that the bullet might have grazed a section of the bone, but several tests confirmed that there was no reason to worry. By the third day of her recovery, she had gained most of the mobility back in her left arm with apparently only minor discomfort, but this kind of recovery could give a false sense of security. Infection, fevers and viral strains could and almost always did accompany this type of wound if not monitored carefully. The doctors however believed Melinda was well enough to rise from her bed giving her the opportunity to stretch her legs, and well enough to be discharged from the hospital by the end of the week. It was decided that Mel would spend some more time recovering at Stavros' house, which was only ten miles away from the infirmary to insure that any possible unforeseen problems due to her injuries could be treated immediately.

Music filled the white corner room as Janice pushed open the wide wooden door. The nurse who had just ordered Janice out of the room looked up and nodded her head in mock disapproval as she took the thermometer out of Mel's mouth. Shaking it a couple of times, she smiled and reported that her body temperature was perfectly normal, as it had been for the past couple of days. Janice held the door open upon the nurse's exit. The staff had learned not to separate the wounded woman from her smaller protector; it would be a waste of words and energy. Instead, they tried to make the two women as comfortable as possible without compromising Melinda's medical treatment.

A small radio on an end table next to the hospital bed continued to emit the soothing sounds of instrumental music. Mel had insisted on having the radio brought into the room believing that it would aid in her recovery. She moved to turn the radio off, but Janice stopped her hand. "No, no leave it on. It's beautiful." She interlaced her fingers with Janice's bring them to rest on her flat stomach. The plain white hospital gown felt soft against her skin.

Janice sat on the hard, wooden chair, which had been her virtual home for the past few days. Every moment Melinda was conscious or not being examined by an army of doctors, Janice spent by her bedside worrying about every little cough and groan. It was only during Mel's sleeping hours that Janice actually took care of herself. It was a couple of days before she got to have a shower, a cold and short one at that. Stavros was finally able to bring her a change of clothes from the site earlier in the morning, and she felt more like herself in her own clothes, although, she had grown used to the itchy wool of the Greek Army uniform she had been wearing. But all these minor hardships aside, Janice felt like nothing could put a damper on her happiness. Except...

It was quiet moments like this that Janice most looked forward to...and those she feared the most. There was still a part of her that believed that all their happiness might just dissolve in one long moment of silence in which Mel realized that this was not what she wanted; that her life and her destiny was somewhere else with someone else, and no matter how hard Janice tried to silence these voices in her head, they still managed to get the better of her once and a while. But looking into Mel's eyes at this moment, she saw no doubt, no fear...she only saw love, but even this scared her. She had never loved anyone as much as this. She had never been willing to give up her entire being, her soul and her life so completely before. She had to get used to being this vulnerable. "The doctors said we can take you home tomorrow. I've called the hotel you were staying at and they are transporting all your belongings over there, so you have nothing to worry except getting back all your strength."

"You have to remind me to thank Stavros for letting me stay with him."

"You don't have to thank him. He's happy to help. Besides, he loves you. He thinks you are a good influence on me."

"Good influence huh?" Mel smiled. "If I can only get you to stop smoking those damn cigars..."

"Hey sweetheart, let's not go too far. Next, I'll be asking me to give my khakis and bomber jacket."

"Well, actually..." Mel said jokingly.

"Don't even say it!" Janice looked out the window at the far end of the small room. The sky was a brilliant orange-gray. Low-lying clouds gathering near the horizon made the sun's final rays streak outward. "I never noticed that how beautiful the sunset is around here." Janice motioned toward the window with her chin. "Reminds me of standing by your bedroom window in South Carolina. Funny how everything looks the same no matter where you are in the world."

"Yeah, but it's funny how much more beautiful something is when you share it with someone." Mel held firmly onto to Janice's hand as she slowly arose from her bed leading her to the large multi-paned window. The sun was just breaking free from the clouds making its descend between two small, wide mountain peaks. Their fingers still interlaced, they stood in silence as they watched nature's light show unfold in the distance.

Rubbing her thumb against Mel's outer palm, Janice could not help but note the utter romantic ambiance of the moment. In any other situation, she would have immediately seized the opportunity and made a move, but a wave of nervousness set in which virtually paralyzed her. Although they were basking the warmth of newfound love, the physicality of their relationship did not as yet go beyond short kisses and handholding. In the past few days, they had barely had a moment to themselves, but now that Mel was well on the road to recovery, the doctors and nurse paid more infrequent calls to her bedside. Janice swallowed trying to shake away all feelings of doubt and fear, and pointed at the streaks of sunlight spread out forming one triangle in the sky. "There is a theory in some archaeology circles that the Ancient Egyptians were so awed by displays of their sun god during sunsets that they molded their monuments to mirror these pyramid rays of light."

Mel smiled. "I must say that at this moment, I'm completely awe-struck."

Janice looked over at her taller companion and was taken aback. She inhaled sharply as she caught sight of how beautifully Melinda's slightly tanned skin glowed in the golden light the sun cast in their direction. Her crystal blue eyes stood in sharp contrast to her long, soft raven hair. "Yeah, me too."

Mel then looked over and noticed Janice's eyes had left the window and were now planted directly on her. She felt all the blood rush to her face and looked away to hide her embarrassment.

The room fell silent except for the sounds of the radio still playing soft, string-based compositions. The moment was broken as Janice gently traced Mel's jaw line with her knuckles. "How did I get so lucky? How could someone so beautiful, intelligent, warm and kind love someone like me? I have nothing to offer you. I just.... " she asked aloud not really expecting any verbal response.

Closing her eyes, Mel relished in Janice's physical contact and her own physical response. For a moment, she gathered her thoughts trying to put into words all the emotions running through her body. "Because I do...with all of my heart. For the first time in my life, I feel like I matter. You believe in me, Janice. No one ever has before. Everyone has always just seen me as a tall, uncoordinated, awkward, shy girl who would never make it out of Charleston, but you saw something in me, Janice. You made me believe in myself. With you, I feel like I can do almost anything. Your love is all I could ever want from you. It's all I need." She opened her eyes and smiled holding Janice's hand firmly against her cheek.

Looking into her eyes, Janice knew that there could never be another person in her life who could fulfill her the way Melinda Pappas did. Mel owned her, body, heart and soul, and that's just the way she liked it, the way it was supposed to be. Her hand broke free from under Mel's, her fingers trailing down her jawline until finally, settling on her lips.

Mel felt the world instantly disappear remembering the last time Janice had touched her like this. How many nights did she dream about this moment? She had lost count. Her memory, however, paled in comparison to the real thing. A warm surge ran down the length of her spine creating goosebumps in its wake. The moment her fingers made contact, Mel closed her eyes. Her lips closing around the tips of the two fingers.

Janice knew there was no running away this time. The force drawing them together was well beyond either of their control. She slowly gave into it as she moved slowly closer to lips with her own. She smiled when she saw Mel had reflexively closed her eyes, tipping her head downwards. Closing her eyes, Janice felt her pulse increase as she felt the warmth of Mel's breath....

The door opened with a loud creek, which brought both women back to reality. The romantic spell was broken. Doctor Nikolas, one of the few base doctors who spoke decent English, wandered into the room looking at a clipboard making notes with a small silver pen. He looked surprised seeing his patient up and about so late in the day...well, it was night now that he took the time to look at the growing darkness outside the small window. Making gestures for her to get back into bed, he spoke quickly, half in English and half in Greek. The women had learned to interpret his gruff manner and lively hand movements as a show of his overprotective, fatherly nature. Although relatively young, Doctor Nikolas treated Janice and Mel as if they were his daughters. "Too much walking around can be no good. You have to rest to build up strength. Why don't you listen when I say this? It's for your own good," he said in his usual overly excited tone pulling a stool from the corner. "I've said before. This friend of yours is a bad influence on you. She probably making you disobey my orders. She looks like the type who doesn't listen to anything anyone says." He pointed at Janice and smiled. "She smokes and she's got a mouth. Some of the doctors are scared of you, my friend." Finally settling down into the stool by the bedside, he continued. "so, how's the patient? Good. No pain." Mel shook her head. "That's good. I just come to check how the wound is doing. How it's healing." Placing a flat palm against Mel's back, he carefully tipped her forward and removed the heavy gauze in place on both sides her left shoulder marking the entrance and exit wound of the bullet.

Janice took a deep breath. She felt pain well up within her as if she was the one in the hospital. She could see Mel try to suppress a cringe as the doctor separated the last bit of bandage from her sensitive skin. She still felt a sense of guilt at having put the one she loved most in the world in this position.

"Well, that looks good. Healing very nice. Will leave good scar though. But remember what I told you. Do not try to move too much. Try to keep it steady. There is a chance that you can reopen the wound if you make the wrong kind of movement. So just keep at side like this," he said as he held his arm stiff against his side. "And try not to move above elbow height. And it should be fine. We watching carefully for infection and fever." He gingerly replaced the gauze with new dressing wrapping it around her shoulder. "Now, if you don't follow my orders this time, I'll have to bind the arm down." He winked. "You, Dr. Covington. You be her arms for a while."

"Don't worry Doc, I'm pretty good with my hands." Janice wiggled her fingers and smiled. "I'll make sure she follows your orders. I won't ever let her out of my sight again." She looked deeply into Mel's azure eyes. "And that's a promise."

The words and looks were not lost on the doctor who secured the dressing while trying not to cause his patient any discomfort. "I'm sure Ms. Pappas will hold you to that."
Doctor Nikolas threw his hands up in the arm and said, "all done. See you tomorrow morning. I must enjoy the pleasure of your company while I can. You leaving us at the end of this week I understand." The doctor got up to leave tucking his pen in his pocket and tucking the clipboard underneath his other arm. Playing with his thin, dark mustache, he smiled at the two women. "I still think she's nothing but trouble that one is! But I'm sure you can handle her." He closed the door behind him still smiling on his way out.

Silence engulfed them once again. Janice moved across the room to shut off the lights turning a small lamp on as she crossed back to one side of the small steel hospital bed.
Mel tossed the cotton sheets over to one side, her long legs finding their way to the floor before Janice stopped in front of her. "No, the doctor said you needed to rest. And he was right. I want you to recover. I want you to be healthy again."

Mel placed her hands lightly on Janice's shoulders, her own shoulder still a little tender from the doctor's examination. "I want you...to finish what you started."

"And I will, but not before you get into bed." Janice wrapped her hands lightly around her waist and pushed her back onto the bed pulling several layers of blankets over her long, tanned legs.

"Is that an invitation Doctor Covington?" Mel smiled placing her hands momentarily over Janice's pressing them into her waist, but she accepted her defeat when she saw the look of seriousness on Janice's darkened face. Placing her upper body against large, soft pillows behind her, she settled onto the bed and continued to watch Janice who sat silently at the far end of the bed. "What's the matter?"

"Doc's right, you know. I am nothing but trouble," Janice smiled but Mel knew that the feelings washing over her were not something to be glossed over by a false facade. "It should have been me not you, me." She looked off toward the window as she tried to collect her thought. "There is so much light in you Melinda and sometimes I feel like the more time you spend with me, the more that light fades. You shouldn't have to face death at every moment. I have for most of my life and look what it's done to me."

Mel leaned forward. "Yes, look what it has done to you. It's made you the strongest, bravest, most caring, compassionate person I've ever had the privilege to meet. You care about others more than you do for yourself and I'm sure any member of your crew, past, present and future, does and will know that Janice Covington will be there when the going gets tough. And I love you for that. Don't you see, I love you for the person you are...all that this life has made you. And if you ever decide to send me away, that light you see in me will surely die out. It only burns when you are near me."

Janice felt tears well up in her eyes, but inhaled sharply as one tear fell from her eyes. "One day, I hope to become half the person you are Melinda Pappas." Janice became aware of the melody floating and echoing through the small room. She rose from the bed and kneeled taking Mel's hands into hers. She couldn't believe she was about to do what she was about to do, but the words immediately resonated in her mind, and they were exactly what she wanted to say. She closed her eyes and softly began to sing the words to the only audience that could ever really matter to her.

A smile cracked on her face as she heard her own voice rise above the instrumental, soothing music. Mel, for her part, held on to Janice's hands refusing to let go even when her eyes started to brim over with tears of joy. Janice knew that she had now become a certifiable romantic lovestruck idiot, but as the words continued to flow, her heart and soul reaffirming everything being uttered, she found she didn't really care. As she finished the last line, Janice placed Mel's hand over her heart while carefully wiping away the few teardrops falling toward her chin with a couple of fingers.

"That has got to be the most romantic thing anyone has ever...sung to me," Mel said as she inhaled deeply.

"I think your ears would have been better off if I would have just told it to you." Janice smiled.

"I think your voice is the sweetest sound I've ever heard. Thank you." She leaned into Janice's hand, which rested on her cheek. Removing her hand from under Janice's, she guided the smaller, rough hand to her other cheek. She smiled as her callused thumb began to trace circles on her increasingly warm cheeks.

Janice swallowed, the feeling of Mel's skin was becoming increasingly intoxicating. "Mel, I feel...I'm so sca...ah, I just don't know..." Janice was having a hard time concentrating on any coherent thoughts trying to express themselves verbally.

Mel smiled knowing that the same feelings of fear, anticipation and desire were coursing through her body as well. "I know that this is a completely unlady-like request, but Janice would you just shut up and kiss me!"

Janice's concerned expression gave way to a wide, knowing grin. "Yes Ma'am." The distance between them slowly narrowed; their lips within mere inches of each other as she softly whispered, "I can't believe I ever left you." As she leaned in, their eyes locked, and they only dared to close them at the moment of contact. Everything disappeared as their lips met. Janice inhaled deeply wanting to inhale in the moment knowing that at this instant her life was perfect. The soft, tender kiss drove away any doubt and fear both women were feeling. Instead, the feelings were replaced by waves of desire and love flowing between the union of their mouths.

The kiss was gentle, their lips only maintaining contact for seconds at a time, but as Mel's hand wrapped itself around Janice's neck drawing the smaller woman to her eliminating any distance that remained between them, the intensity increased sending small shockwaves through their bodies. Turning her head, Janice shifted her hands to the sides of Melinda's body. Her body hovering over Melinda's as she leaned back into the soft white pillows.

Their bodies melded and melted into each other as Janice parted her lips timidly exploring Mel's mouth. Her pulse increasing, Mel began to moan the instant she felt Janice's tongue part her lips. Janice knew she would have to release her hold on Mel eventually, but she preferred if the kiss ended later rather than sooner. Janice reached behind her neck and moved Mel's hands up to her face placing them gently on her cheeks.

Mel slowly opened her eyes as she broke the kiss taking in a deep breathe of air. The sight that greeted her eyes caused her to unsuccessfully suppress a giggle while at the same time touching her soul. Janice hovered frozen with her eyes closed and her head tilted downwards as if not knowing the kiss had ended, but before Mel could say anything, a grin spread across her face and Janice whispered, "oh my!" She gradually opened her eyes as if awaking from a dream. She shifted her weight on to her arms not wanting to put any excess strain on her body, but Mel slowly drew her head down toward her other shoulder. Her head finally resting in crook of her shoulder giving her an opportunity to nuzzle Mel's sensitive neck. The rest of her body landing on the other side of the bed. Wrapping her arms around her waist, Janice watched as Mel's chest rose up and down as her breathing began to return to normal. "I should let you rest. I can't stay like this all night."

"Says who?"

"The doctors, the nurse. Besides, I don't know if I can trust myself. I don't know how much I can take without wanting to..." To make her point, Janice placed feather-light kisses on her neck causing Melinda's pulse to increase.

"You are nothing but trouble aren't you," she said as Janice found the pulse in her neck and began to kiss the length of the vein.

"Yeah, but would you have me any other way," she said in between kisses.

"Not in a million years!" Melinda smiled and turned her head planting a gentle kiss on Janice's nose before settling back into the pillows. She did not know when, but she slipped into a deep sleep allowing the waves of unconsciousness to wash over her, and for the first time in almost a month, she went to sleep with a smile on her face.