Help Me Heal

Chapter 9

That evening, Hank had invited Kalinda to come to his house for dinner. He had offered to cook 'Steak and chips', as the English called it. If things did develop between them, he figured he would have to get more accustomed to the way English people used the language, particularly Kalinda. It was hard to explain, but she somehow seemed to pronounce every word she said better than he could do even if he actively tried his hardest. It was one of the many things that fascinated him about Kalinda.

The doorbell rang. Hank walked out of his kitchen, content to leave the food cooking for a few minutes. When he opened the front door, Kalinda was standing there wrapped up warm against the cold wind that was whipping around the neighbourhood. The warm smile she gave him was quite the contrast. He also noticed that her hair was up in that frustrating style yet again. But she did have leather boots and gloves on. Sadly they were the only leather items in this particular outfit, but it was better than nothing.

"Good evening. Might I come in before I freeze my tits off?"

The well-spoken yet crass line made Hank laugh. Doing that still felt strange to him after so many years of unhappiness, but it was happening more and more often around her. He stood aside to let her enter.

"Please, don't let your tits freeze off. That would be a nasty ER visit, and the steaks would go to waste."

Kalinda grinned at him as he closed the door. "Oh, so you'd come with me to the hospital?"

"I'm a gentleman," he said, as if any suggestion to the contrary would be outrageous.

She pretended to eye him warily. "The jury is still out on that."

"Oh, is it? You won't want the steak I'm grilling then?"

"Well, I didn't say that," Kalinda said and they both laughed.

"Let me take your coat," he offered.

Kalinda took off the coat, along with her scarf and gloves, which went into a pocket. "It's nice and warm in here. Shall I go through to the kitchen?"

"Please do."

Hank followed her in there moments later, and she sat and watched him cook while they chatted. The conversation flowed naturally, to Hank's relief. They were already getting to the point where they were comfortable in each other's company.

The level of comfort increased further over dinner. His decision to cook a very English meal of steak, chips and peas had been a successful one. Kalinda had been delighted by the thought that he had put into it as much as his execution of it, although his cooking was also top notch. One thing Hank knew he could cook well was steak.

"That was truly delicious, Hank. Thank you very much," Kalinda said when she was done.

Hank had already finished eating before her. "I'm glad you enjoyed it. Shall we go through to the living room?"

"Okay," Kalinda said. She moved to pick up her empty plate, but Hank motioned her not to.

"Leave that. I'll clean up tomorrow. Would you like another glass of wine?"

"Yes, please."

"Okay. Go through and I'll be right with you."

Kalinda did as Hank suggested, while he set about pouring a glass of wine for her and a shot of whisky for himself. Drinks in hand, he joined her in the living room, finding her sitting on one of the couches. He decided it was time to try and make a move. The moment and the vibe between them felt right.

"Kalinda, can I sit next to you?"

"Please do. Thank you," she added when he handed her the glass of wine.

Hank sat down beside her, feeling excited and somewhat turned on. The warmth between them, her beauty and the smell of her perfume were all doing work on him.

"Thank you for tonight, Hank. It feels odd to have someone put themselves out so that I can have a good time. That's pretty sad, isn't it?"

"Not when you're a cop," he replied with a knowing smile. "But I'm happy you enjoyed the meal and my company."

Kalinda hesitated for a moment, then decided to put herself out there. "Maybe we could enjoy more than food and company? Is that inappropriate?"

"Maybe a little. But who cares? I don't." Hank sipped some of his whisky then put the glass on the coffee table. "There's something I've got to ask you. I can't stop thinking about it when I see you."

"Is it to do with my leather boots? I can tell you like them."

Hank felt a surge of surprise and embarrassment. He'd had no idea that he had shown that to her. Now that she knew, he figured there was no reason not to be honest. "Not just the boots. I like all the leather you wear. It suits you so well, and you look really good in it. That wasn't what I wanted to ask you about though."

Kalinda sipped some wine, her eyes twinkling at him over the glass. "Thank you for the compliment. I'll keep your preference in mind. Ask me what you want to ask."

The moment for Hank to cross the divide between companionship and a level of intimacy was at hand. He summoned his courage and went for it. "Can I let your hair down?"

Kalinda looked a little embarrassed, but she agreed. "You can. There's a clip there. Just pull it out."

Hank carefully did as she said. The clip came out easily and her hair tumbled loose, down below her shoulders. "Absolutely beautiful," was his verdict. For the past couple of days he had thought about that moment a lot.

"Thank you," Kalinda said softly. "Is it my turn to ask a question?"

"Sure."

Caught up in the moment, Kalinda had stopped paying attention to her glass. She was spilling wine onto the couch before she realised she had started to hold it at an angle.

"Oh, shit," she gasped, jumping up. "Christ, Hank, I'm sorry. What a moron."

"It's fine, don't worry," Hank said, also getting up. He handed the hair clip back to her and headed for the kitchen. "I'll get a cloth and it'll come right off. It's leather so it won't soak in."

"I guess you're right. What a clumsy idiot though. How embarrassing."

"Seriously, don't worry," Hank called through from the kitchen. The only thing he was annoyed about was the timing of the mishap. It felt like they might have been about to kiss before the spillage had happened. He grabbed a cloth and went back to the living room.

"I'll do it," Kalinda offered, still feeling guilty.

"No need," he assured her. Then the doorbell rang. Another interruption. Another annoyance. "Would you mind getting rid of whoever that is for me? It's bound to be a cold caller of some kind."

"No problem," Kalinda said, and left the room.

As he worked on cleaning up the wine, Hank heard her open the door.

"Hello?"

"Who are you?" a female voice asked.

"Who are you?" Kalinda countered.

Hank knew exactly who the other voice belonged to. He could hardly mistake it. Erin.

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A/N: A surprise return at an inopportune moment. Why do you think Erin might have shown up at Hank's house out of the blue?