Bonus Chapter: Home

12.9K 699 45
                                    

-Oliver-

I sat on the couch and put my feet up. They ached after I spent all day standing and walking around, so I made a note in my phone to get some better shoes. It had been a while since I'd worked a twelve hour shift in a hospital. My clinical research job in San Diego had been a healthier mix of desk work and patient care.

I glanced at the clock and guessed Cooper would be home soon. Usually when I worked a twelve hour shift, he beat me home by a couple hours, but today he texted saying they had a deadline to meet and he'd probably be working late. I was glad we had leftovers from the other night so neither of us would have to cook. That was something we split between the two of us - whoever was home first would cook dinner, except for a couple nights when we planned to cook together. I was slowly getting used to having a relationship that was an equal partnership, rather than the unbalanced relationship I'd had with Brad.

I heard Cooper's truck pull into the driveway and got up to greet him at the door. Seeing him after we'd both been at work was my favorite part of every day. He always put a smile on my face and his big bear hugs melted away any stress I had from my job.

I opened the front door and watched as Cooper trudged up the steps to the porch. He was typically more cheerful than this, so it must have been an exhausting day for him.

"Hey, Coop!" I called out.

When he looked up, I saw a small spark in his eyes and he gave me a tired smile. One of the things I loved about him was that he never seemed to be in a bad mood. Without saying anything, he pulled me into a hug and slumped against me, and I rubbed his back. "Did you guys get everything done?"

I felt him nod. "It was a hard day. My whole body hurts."

I gave him a squeeze. "Go take a shower and I'll heat up some of the leftovers for you."

Cooper walked into the house slowly, moving like his back was stiff. I hadn't visited him at work yet to see what he did every day, but I knew logging was a physically strenuous job.

I hummed to myself as I heated up the leftovers, making sure to take my time doing it. My guess was that Cooper needed a long, hot shower, and I didn't want his food to get cold. He and I had settled into a nice routine the first month I'd been living here, and I was happy things were going so well between us. I knew we were still in the honeymoon phase, but we hadn't argued once. Cooper was easy to get along with and he made everything fun, even the mundane stuff like going to get groceries or doing chores around the house.

When I heard the shower shut off, I plated the food and set it on the table. Soon after, Cooper wandered out of the bedroom dressed in a faded t-shirt and a pair of flannel pajama pants. I put my arms around his waist and kissed him before he sat down. "I love you."

"I love you too," he replied, rubbing his nose against mine. "Thank you for heating up my food."

For the first few minutes we ate without speaking. Cooper must have been hungry, because he shoveled his food into his mouth without stopping to breathe. When he was nearing the end of his meal, he looked up. "How was your day?"

"Good, but busy. I was on my feet for most of it. I'm going to need to get some more supportive shoes."

"I don't know how you do it," Cooper replied. "I'd be too afraid of screwing up and accidentally killing a patient if I was a nurse."

"You'd be good at it. You're a caring person and you'd cheer up the patients and make them laugh."

"It would be safer if I only provided emotional support for the patients instead of giving medication and doing medical procedures."

NovemberWhere stories live. Discover now