Patience Pt. 02

Author's Note: This will be a slow burn type of romance/drama with more emphasis on the love rather than sexy times. If you're looking for more of the sexy times this may not be your cup of tea.

***

End of Part I

Joe sat down in his chair as he said, "Ok ok if you don't want to tell me about it that's fine, but as your friend I would advise you figure out what it is exactly that you two are and the sooner the better." With that he stood up again and extended his hand to me and said, "Good luck. If I can be of any help, you know all you have to do is call me. Otherwise, I'll see you when you get back."

I shook his hand and said, "Thanks Joe." and began moving my boxes out to the Denali.

***

I got home from the office to find my house significantly cleaner than it was when I left just a few hours before. While the place wasn't filthy by any stretch of the imagination it did need a good deep cleaning that I hadn't had time to do recently. I came in with my boxes from the office and dropped them in my lab as I called my home office. I found Belle putting fresh sheets on the bed.

"Holy shit! This place hasn't been this clean in years." I told her as I grabbed an end of the top sheet to help her. And I was only half exaggerating.

She grinned at me before saying, "It's giving me something to do. I didn't want to just sit around watching TV. Plus, I wanted to do something for you since you're doing so much for me."

"I'm not going to argue with that." I told her as we finished fitting the sheets and comforter to the bed. "Can I put you in charge of food too?"

"Sure." she replied.

"Good. I know we need some more provisions. Finish this and I'll let you go do some shopping while I get started here." I told her.

"Ok cool. Anything particular you want?" she asked.

"No not really. You know I'm not too particular as long as it fills me up." I replied.

"I'll make something really good for us tonight. You'll love it I promise." she said giving me a sweet smile.

"Ok I'm going to hold you to that." I told her sarcastically trying not to grin too much and not really succeeding. My insolence got a pillow thrown at me and I quickly returned the favor. For a couple of minutes, we had an impromptu pillow fight on top of the bed we had been trying to make before falling back on the bed and busting out laughing.

"So much for getting the bed made." she said still giggling.

"You started it." I quickly threw back at her.

"I did not! You started it by being a smart ass." she retorted rolling over and hitting me with a pillow again.

I sat up holding my hands up in surrender. Still laughing I said, "Ok ok you win. I give up!"

"That's better!" she said with a triumphant smirk.

"That was way too much fun." I thought to myself as we got the bed re-made.

Once we got the bed re-made, I gave Belle the keys to the Denali, and one of my credit cards. We were making our way out to the front when she turned and said,

"Oh, I don't exactly have a lot of clothes with me either. Most of my stuff is at the house I had with Chad which is under foreclosure and sealed as state's evidence. Do you mind if I get some things like that while I'm out?"

I inwardly groaned, more that had to be handled and soon. But what could I do? "Yeah, go to Target and get what you need. But don't spend a fortune. And I'll see what I can do about making arrangements to get your stuff out of the house soon."

"Oh, thank you." she said sweetly. "You want to come with me and help me pick some clothes out?"

Now she was going too far. "Not to be a jerk but I'm not here to help you pick out clothes. I need to get some other things rolling."

"Oh yeah you're right, sorry." she replied timidly.

Then without thinking I said, "I'm sure whatever you pick out will look great on you."

"Aww you're too sweet." she said with a smile. "Well, I'd better get going and let you get to what you need to do." With that she jetted out the door.

Once Belle was gone, I immediately got to work on her situation. Luckily, I had some contacts at Dover PD and the DA's office down there, so I was able to make some discreet inquiries without too many questions being asked. After a few hours working the phone, I had a clearer idea of Belle's situation and what needed to be done next.

By that time, it was nearing 5:00, so I knew it was time to call it a day. I plugged my phone in and tossed it on my desk and a few seconds later heard the door open. I left my lab and saw Belle carrying in bags of groceries. I took a load from her and spread them out on the kitchen counter. A couple more trips to the Denali and we had everything inside.

As we unloaded bags she eagerly said, "They had some really nice-looking steaks on sale, so I got a couple to make for us tonight. And some really big potatoes I'm going to bake to go with them."

"You're going to spoil me. I'm not used to eating like this." I told her as I unloaded more stuff into the pantry.

"Well, you deserve it." she said sweetly. "You're about the only person whose stayed loyal to me over the years." Then in a repeat of earlier in the morning she stood up tall and gave me a kiss on my cheek. Again, ignoring the butterflies in my stomach, I pulled her into a hug and before I thought about what I was doing kissed the top of her head and for a couple of minutes we just stood there holding each other. A couple of minutes I didn't want to end.

We got the groceries put away and I helped her make dinner. At her insistence she did most of the work saying she wanted to do it for me. We sat down and at in silence for a few minutes. Then I decided it was time to update her on what I had found out about her situation.

"So, while you were out, I worked the phone to try to get a better look at your situation." I told her.

"Ok." she said somewhat timidly but with a slight curious look on her face.

I continued, "So, the good news is there is no warrant out for your arrest as of today. The bad news is that can change at any time and the DA, and the lead detective still think you know more than you've told them and are hoping you'll talk. They want to interview you again and DA is considering issuing a subpoena to compel you to appear before the grand jury."

At this news she dropped her fork on her plate hard and said in an exasperated voice, "But I told them everything I know! I can't tell them what I don't know. I know I was naive and stupid, but I told them the truth."

I reached over and took her hand and told her, "I know you have, but it's a DA's job to push people for the information they need and they're not above bending and sometimes even breaking the law to get what they want. That's why you're not dealing with them again without a lawyer. I've got you an appointment tomorrow morning with a good criminal defense attorney I know."

Still looking distressed she said, "Robbie I can't afford a lawyer. I don't even have a job right now remember?"

Still holding her hand, I said, "Let me worry about that for now. You can also apply for unemployment tomorrow since you were technically laid off. Then once some of this mess is settled, we can look at getting you back to work."

Holding her hand wasn't much for comfort apparently as I saw tears forming in her eyes, "Oh Robbie, I can't ask you to do that for me. You've already done so much just letting me stay with you, not to mention all the other times you've helped me over the years."

With a table between us I had to stand up in order to use the thumb on my free hand to wipe the streams of tears running down her cheeks. "You didn't ask, I volunteered." I told her. "We'll call it an advance how about that? Once you get some unemployment coming in and later on get back to work you can repay me. How about that? Hell, if you keep feeding like this I might pro-rate it." I said with a smile.

She gave me a weak smile at my last comment before saying timidly, "Ok, but I still feel terrible. You've always done so much for me, and I feel like I've always just dumped all my problems on you. I don't want to think about where I'd be if you hadn't been around in some of those situations."

I didn't want to think about it either. Especially since for the times she knew I bailed her out there were several times I worked in the shadows and never told her about. I wanted to tell her if she really wanted to repay me, she would quit hooking up with bums who get her into trouble, but I figured that argument was best for another time.

"We'll get through this like we've always done." I said.

"You're the best Robbie." she said with a bigger smile.

"I'm sorry say that one more time." I said stoically.

"You're the best." she said a little bit louder.

"One more time I didn't quite catch that." I said trying not to crack up and only half succeeding.

She started laughing and balled her napkin up and threw it at me as she said, "I said you're the best, smart ass." and we both busted out laughing.

We finished eating and cleaning up the kitchen before settling into the living room to watch some tv. This time we watched a show she had gotten into recently and while I had to be brought up to speed a bit actually found interesting myself. Once again about halfway through the third episode I looked over at her on the sofa and saw she was fast asleep.

I didn't even bother waking her up this time. I pulled the fresh sheets and blankets back on my bed before carrying her and tucking her into bed. I couldn't help but notice how peaceful she looked as she slept as I pulled the covers over her. I resisted the urge to kiss her on the forehead before retreating to sleep on the sofa in my lab.

***

Once again, the next morning I was up well before dawn again even though I didn't really have to be. Over coffee and the super early news show on low volume I went over what needed to be accomplished that day. The appointment with the lawyer was at 11 and I made sure all my notes were ready, so nothing got missed during the session.

At some point after the sun had risen and I had finished one pot of coffee and started another I heard water run through the pipes telling me that Belle was awake and taking a shower. Sure, enough about 20 minutes later she appeared with damp hair and smelling of citrus bodywash wearing jeans and a t-shirt looking cute and spunky, typical Belle.

Before I could say anything, she smiled at me and said, "Thanks for putting me to bed. I must have died last night."

"Sure thing." I replied.

"I feel bad putting you out of your bed though. Where are you sleeping?" she asked.

"Don't worry about it. The couch in my lab is pretty comfortable." I told her.

"You sure? I could sleep there, or we could share the bed?" she asked innocently.

"No, you're my guest. Don't worry about it I'll be fine." I said trying not to betray any emotion. Obviously sleeping the in the same bed with Belle would be a dream come true for me, but only if she saw it in the same way I did.

"Oh ok." she said with what I must have imagined was a flash of disappointment cross her face. "Well, I'll get some breakfast going if you're hungry."

"Yeah, that sounds great." I told her. "I'm going to take a shower."

As I shaved and then jumped in the shower, I wondered what in the world had just happened between us. Had she just really offered to let me sleep in the same bed with her? She couldn't be so naive as to not know what that would mean or at least imply no matter what our relationship was. Surely, she wasn't trying to tease me. If that were the case, I'd have to put an end to it quick. With other issues to handle in front of us I put the issue out of my mind for the moment.

After I finished showering and got dressed, we sat down to eat, and I told her the plan for the day.

"So, your appointment with the lawyer is at 11. I've got my notes so everything can be explained to him. I'll warn you he's a damn good lawyer, but not always the most personable. He's going to ask you hard questions and his tact is sometimes lacking, but if there's someone who can get you out of this it's him. He was in the Navy when I was. I was at ONI, and he was in the JAG office, that's where he learned law." She nodded with a slight nervous look on her face.

I continued, "After that I've got an appointment to get the Denali looked at. I'm hoping the head gasket can be sealed for at least the time being, but I need a mechanic's opinion. If a seal won't work, then other options will have to be explored."

Another tentative nod as I next told her, "First though I think we can get online and see about getting you some unemployment."

We spent the next few hours multi-tasking. Working on her unemployment application turned into a bit of an adventure and I had to make a few phone calls to people I knew to shake the process loose but, in the end, we got the application in. At the same time, she was washing the clothes she had bought the day before saying she had picked out some business casual stuff too anticipating at the very least more talks with the cops and DA. And in a funny twist she also added she was taking a cue from me on how to dress.

Finally, it was about 30 minutes before time to head over to the law office she ducked into the bedroom to change. She reappeared wearing a pair of black khaki-colored slacks and a pale pink button-down shirt. I had never seen her in dressier attire and was surprised how it suited her.

"How do I look?" she asked.

"Beautiful." I said without even thinking.

"Aww thank you." she said with a sweet smile while she cocked her head slightly to the side. Then we left to head to the law office.

***

We left the law office a couple of hours later and while the situation looked a little bit better it had been a hard couple of hours on Belle and by proxy me. Just as I had predicted, William Wells was a good lawyer but his near constant probing on every point Belle made along with his moody and skeptical disposition left Belle drained and aggravated when the meeting was over. Several times I had to ask Wells to lighten up and he would for a bit only to slip back into it.

We barely got out of the office and to the Denali before she turned to face me and said angrily, "Does he have to be such an asshole?! My god! I thought he was supposed to be on my side not theirs! How could you let him do that to me?"

I let her vent for a few minutes before replying, "I told you he's not the best people person, but I've seen him at work and he's a great lawyer. I sat on a military jury once on a case he tried. While I agree he could be a bit nicer sometimes he has to get every bit of information he can get from anyone he represents so he can know how to handle the case."

Still not satisfied she said, "I'm so tired of everyone looking at me like I'm either an idiot or somehow involved in what Chad did."

My own patience slipping I said, "Look I know he's bit of a dick, but I think he's the best lawyer you can have for this, and he's agreed to represent you. You've got to realize that not everyone is going to be Mr. Rogers, or me for that matter, but that doesn't mean they're not on your side or that they're not going to help you or that they're not good people."

She sighed before saying, "You're right Robbie I'm sorry. I know you wouldn't hire him if you didn't think he was good. I'm just tired of everyone thinking I'm crazy." Then she put her head on my chest and I put my arms around her and comforted her. After a few minutes she felt a little better and we left for the shop.

The visit to the shop went marginally better. My mechanic, Pete, had much better people skills than attorney Wells, but unfortunately, he couldn't give me good news. He told me the leak in the head gasket was getting larger and that a sealer wouldn't be a permanent fix. Sooner rather than later I would need to either have the head gasket replaced or get another engine. He added a bottle of sealer to the radiator, and I told him I would explore my options.

***

Thankfully a couple of days later things were looking a little bit better. Attorney Wells was making inroads with the Police and Da and had gotten us permission to get some of Belle's things out of the house that was currently under foreclosure and sealed as state's evidence. So, this morning we were getting ready to make the trip to Dover to get this done. I pulled the back seats out of the Denali and hoped the head gasket would continue to hold together under the extended load. Then I filled the empty space with boxes Belle had collected from local stores.

We made the hour trip to Dover listening to our old favorite tunes on the android radio. The hot and humid weather had somewhat subsided, so I was able to open up the sunroof and put the windows down and enjoy the open air. It was a nice temporary respite from the issues we were dealing with.

I couldn't help but be impressed when I saw the house she owned. It was small colonial style house just outside of town in a nice neighborhood. As I backed the Denali into the driveway up to the garage door I said, "Wow this is a nice place."

She gave a small smile saying, "Yeah, I bought it when I was an accounting manager a few years ago. It was before I met Chad and was still single." A slight look of sadness flashed across her face as she said, "If only I stayed single."

Rightly or wrongly, I figured brotherly advice was needed. "Everybody makes mistakes. The key is to learn from them and not make them again." I said as we got out of the Denali.

Under the watchful eye of the Dover PD, we spent the next few hours packing up Belle's clothes and other personal effects into boxes and loading them into the Denali. Next stop was the storage unit I had reserved in Dover to store the bulk of her stuff in until we figured her situation out.

Once we got back to the Capital and got the rest of her stuff in my house, I looked at my phone and realized there was an email from the unemployment bureau. I quickly read it before handing Belle the phone. She read the same message that said her unemployment had been approved and that she should see the first deposit in her account within the next 7-10 days,

"What would I do without you? You're a lifesaver." before throwing her arms around me.