He sat down in a big easy chair near the bed, and looked at her kindly. “I'm glad you called me. You've been through enough.” And then he had a thought, but it was interesting that she hadn't called him to begin with. “Do you want to call Brad?”
She shook her head without hesitation. “I'll call him later. He's in Chicago.” And then she thought of something else. “I didn't even think about calling him when they called me in ICU.” She wanted him to know that. “All I could think of was calling you … it was almost a reflex.”
“That's an okay reflex to have,” he said gently, leaning closer to her. He was feeling things he hadn't felt in years, and she was confused by her own emotions as she watched him. “Page … I don't want to do anything you don't want …” he whispered, but suddenly it was all he could do to keep himself away from her. He felt the power of a magnet as he watched her, and she realized that she hadn't been imagining it the other night in the garden. He had been about to kiss her. As he was now. As he had wanted to for days, as they sat together, night after night, and day after day, in their unhappy vigil.
“I don't know what I want, Trygve.” She raised her big blue eyes to his honestly. “Ten days ago I thought I was happily married …then I find out it's all a lie, and my marriage is probably over …and in the midst of it all, there you are, the only person I've been able to depend on in years, the only friend I have who knows what I'm feeling …the only man I want to be with,” she whispered, looking at him as he moved closer. “I don't know where I am, or what I'm doing, or what's going to happen … I don't know anything …except … I just don't know …” Her voice drifted off in confusion, as she watched him, but she didn't stop him as he moved closer.
“Shh …you don't have to say anything …don't …”he whispered, and sat on the edge of her bed, and took her in his arms. All he wanted was to hold her as he hadn't held anyone in years, and kiss her. His lips pressed down against hers, and his tongue gently parted them and moved inside, as she felt her breath catch, and their bodies almost melt together. She was overwhelmed by what she felt, and frightened at the same time, but she knew she wanted him. This was not a game, or a revenge on Brad …this was someone who had been there for her at the worst time in her life, who hadn't let her down for a single moment, and whom she felt overwhelmingly drawn to.
“What are we going to do?” she asked as he moved away from her again, and sat looking at her in all her flushed blond beauty.
“Let's not worry about it right now. At least I know what to do to get some color back in your face. You look a lot better.” He smiled, looking very happy.
“Stop that!” She swatted him gently, but he pulled her back in his arms again, and this time he kissed her harder. He hadn't felt anything like this since long before Dana, if ever.
“I will not stop. I will never stop,” he informed her. “I'd forgotten it could be like this.”
“So had I,” she said honestly. Brad had always been so self-involved that she realized now how little he'd ever given her, emotionally or physically. Trygve took her breath away, and she giggled as they kissed again. It was a good thing Andy was sedated, but she also knew that neither of them was ready to do anything foolish. She had to settle her life with Brad before she started anything serious with Trygve, and he knew that. But this certainly changed things.
“What am I going to do?” she asked him honestly, swinging her legs back to the floor again, and looking at him like a little kid as he smiled at her. She couldn't ever remember being this happy.
“You'll figure it out eventually. It sounds like things are taking care of themselves. And I'm not rushing you … I want you to know that.” He tried to look serious, but he found he couldn't. “I'll just stand here panting and making a pest of myself until you decide you can't live without me.” They both knew that this was more than just kissing.
She grinned mischievously and this time she kissed him. The whole thing was amazing. “How did this happen?” she asked when they finally parted.
“I'm not sure. Maybe it's something in the air at ICU.” Or trauma or pain or fear, or being there for each other. He had made a tremendous difference, and she had made a difference to him too. They had been through the worst that life had to offer, and they had survived it, together, with very little help from anyone else, particularly Brad, who had done everything he could to hurt her.
“Life is amazing, isn't it?” she asked him, awed by what had happened. “I guess we'll just have to take this one step at a time. Brad hasn't figured out what he wants to do yet.”