And Baby Makes...Two

13

Theous tried not to wince too much whenever Nonny moved her head that was currently on his chest. They had laid down on the couch to talk but Nonny ended up falling asleep, hiccuping from crying so much.

This evening, he had come to the decision to try to talk to the Shrink she said would come and see him. While seated in his house earlier on, he had started thinking too much and gone back to his bad habit which made him realise that he really needed help.

Theous lifted his shirt at the neck and winced when he saw the red welts that were his scars that had been scratched so hard they were now open. This was his bad habit. Scratching the scars whenever he thought too much.

Nonny was right. And so was Coach Hart. Theous was going to give the Therapist a try and for the first time in a long time, he was going to let someone touch his scars and help heal them because he had opened them up with his incessant scratching.

When he looked up from his chest, he found Nonny staring at him, her brow furrowed with concern.

"You opened them up again," she stated, looking at the few scars that were exposed where he had unbuttoned his shirt. Instinctively, she reached her hand out but stopped, remembering how he had reacted when she tried to touch him some time back.

He unbuttoned his shirt and took it off.

Nonny gasped and immediately rushed out of the lounge before coming back with her medical kit and a first aid kit. She knelt before him, in between his legs and started dousing a cotton swab with antiseptic then wiped the open wounds.

Theous hissed as the liquid stung him unexpectedly and painfully. He grabbed Nonny's wrist and stopped her.

She looked up at him. "It's gonna hurt for less than a minute but we'll prevent infection," she said. "Let me finish up."

He took a deep breath and let go so that she would continue. The pain was a little intense for his liking but he let her finish.

"Don't put any band-aids on the wounds," she instructed. "Let them get some air so that they'll heal faster, yeah? No muscle huggers for you," she teased. "For at least a week. Just loose shirts."

He grinned. "Oi oi, doctor."

Nonny stood up and put the kits back together then took them to the bathroom.

When she got back, the shirtless Theous was helping himself to the takeaway she had brought. She shrieked and rushed over, trying to stop him from shoving more than half her sauced pork into his greedy mouth.

She pushed him away as he laughed.

"I hate you," she mumbled.

"I know you love me," he countered.

She scrunched her nose with distaste. "Don't talk with your mouth open."

He opened his mouth wider and chewed loudly just to irritate her. She definitely got irritated and smacked his arm but laughed either way. After he had swallowed, he drank some water and turned to her.

"Look, I have decided to talk to your therapist friend. Can you please set an appointment for Friday?"

She grinned happily. "Yes. I will."

"And... I'm sorry for what I said in your office."

"No...you were right. I really have to forget about Derek. As for my surname...I haven't changed it because having to go through the process of changing it will be exhausting and anyway, almost everything of mine is in the names of Nonny Asher."

Theous nodded. "It was none of my business anyway." He gazed at her. "Derek lost out on a good woman," he said, looking serious.

"People fall out of love sometimes. It happens."