She Has Your Eyes

Part Four

John steps up to the porch screen door and takes in her blonde hair, half swept back into a clip and navy blazer jacket as she sits on the steps drinking, what he can only assume to be, a coffee.

"Going to join me, Sailor?"

His heart flutters a bit at the nickname and he quickly pushes the door open, "How long have you been here?"

"About ten minutes or so."

As he gingerly takes a position next to her, he inquires, "Were you not going to knock?"

"Eventually. Were you heading down for breakfast?"

Taking the offered coffee from her, John takes a quick sip before smiling over the rim, "No, I woke up rather suddenly - I tend to sleep late in general right now, but after Tuesday's dose, it is not uncommon for me to be out 'til mid-morning. But I woke and was awake and just had to come downstairs." Tipping his cup towards her, "And now I know why. This connection between us Doc, forgot how spooky it can be."

"It often could be intense."

The two fall into a comfortable silence and a soft smile forms across John's lips as her free hand moves off of the step and slides along his thigh until it rests upon his knee. "Smooth move there, Doc. Haven't lost your touch." He leans over to bump her shoulder before putting his left hand on hers, trapping it in place. Seeing the pink pepper along her cheekbone, "Did I make you blush?"

"You always could. I'm quite out of practice and I'll admit, my heart is beating a lot faster than it should be over a little friendly gesture."

John leans over and whispers something in her ear that causes the blush to deepen before gently kissing the skin just below her earlobe. "No, Belle?"

"She is not a morning person. I'll go back for her or she'll take a cab- we will figure it out whenever she decides to wake. I will also assume that the time change is going to kick her in the butt, she is a girl who likes her sleep."

Nodding, "You like to sleep, but I wouldn't necessarily say you aren't a morning person."

"Well, I am definitely not your version of a morning person, but yes, I have never minded them. My father was never a morning person. In his retirement, he has always been an alarm at 9 and a slow roll with coffee and the paper until 10 and then ready for the day. My sister, Samantha, took after him."

"Must be where Belle gets it."

Licking her bottom lip to remove a stray drop of coffee, "Must be. How are you doing, John? After everything that we brought to your front door yesterday, are you and Brady okay?"

Squeezing the hand that is still on his knee, "Yeah, we are okay. I mean, there is no way to have prepared for yesterday and we still have things to sort through, but overall, it is a good change. You and Belle here, it's good. I think I am still processing and it all hasn't seeped in that you found me and Belle knows that I'm her father and she is okay with it. Or accepting of it. And Brady has a little more shock to work though, which is understandable, but he too is excited to have you two. I truly didn't realize how alone he has felt until now and I feel - I feel really guilty about that."

"We do the best that we can, John. We do the best we can in each given circumstance with what we've got." She studies the man sitting next to her, "You know, I cannot even describe the feeling that I got when I boarded the plane in Salem. We decided to do it and came here within days of each other. There was no real time to think it all through until the plane took off and then I was like 'oh shit.' What if you slammed the door in my face?"

"Oh come on, Doc! I flew to Salem to see Belle's graduation and we have been talking a bit since then."

"When anxious, logic doesn't tend to work." She smiles sheepishly up at him, "And I was bringing Belle, having told her everything. There was Brady to consider and the fact that we were doing it all as a surprise."