Sicilian Nights

Part 6: Dreams and Fairytales

It was a calm, quiet Sunday morning, the early September sun hiding behind a fuzzy cloud covering and Stefani stood on the back porch of their house, enjoying her coffee while running through the schedule for the following week in her head. It promised to be a busy one, filled with plenty of Haus Laboratories-related activities as well as the engagement party; Bradley was heading to New York on Tuesday to pick up Lea, returning her to Irina on Saturday and continuing to Toronto for the Film Festival and from then on it was going to be a complete mayhem for the rest of the year with Enigma resuming in mid-October as well. She sighed, pressing a hand against her hip and making a face; despite all the resting and relaxing she had done on their holiday, all the unbelievably joyful events that had happened in her life lately, her body seemed to be getting angry again.

Massaging her hip gently, she wondered how long Bradley might be gone; he had taken the dogs for a beach run as promised and she missed him already as living together, getting to wake up next to him in their bedroom and sharing breakfast in their kitchen was still such a new, incredible experience that she kind of wanted him there with her all the time, ached for him when he was away even for a little while.

"I think I'm addicted to you, B," she murmured quietly to herself, emptying her coffee mug. "Hurry back."

Suddenly a terrible pain flashed through her right side and she moaned, hissing, the mug falling from her hand and meeting its end against the wooden deck; Stefani dragged herself over to a chair and fell onto it, closing her eyes and trying to breathe, droplets of sweat rising to her forehead as the all-too-familiar agony gripped her into its unrelenting claws.

"Damn it," she muttered, clutching her hip, lifting her head and wondering if she might be able to make it inside and to the medical cabinet; getting back to her shaky legs was the easy part but walking was another story entirely as she was quite weak now, flashes of pain running from her hip to her shoulder. Trembling, she tried a take a step, but her legs didn't hold and she crashed onto the deck, screaming in pain as her tense, painful body met the hard floor.

"Stef!"

Running steps approached, the dogs barking and then he was there, kneeling next to her, looking pale, eyes terribly worried.

"Christ, baby, what happened? A flareup?"

She grasped onto the front of his damp t-shirt, managed to nod. "Hurts... really bad."

"Okay." Bradley picked her up as gently as possible, tried to keep his hold light but in this state, even the tiniest touch was enough to send waves of agony through her and she sobbed, tried to squirm off his arms. He shook his head, held on securely. "Don't do that, sweetheart; try to be still or you'll make yourself hurt even more. I'll take you inside; hold on for just a moment."

He lowered her onto the living room couch, rushed to the downstairs bathroom and returned a moment later with her medicines and a bottle of water. The dogs observed her with worried eyes and she swallowed two of the pills, closed her eyes and tried to focus on getting oxygen. "Thank you."

"It's okay." He pushed sweaty hair from her forehead. "Do you want me to call someone; Ashley or your massage therapist? Did you hurt yourself when you fell?"

Stefani shook her head, feeling her mind starting to get hazy from the strong painkillers. "I can't have a massage right now; the pain would be too terrible. I just need to rest; the meds should help soon."

Bradley nodded, took a seat on the floor and grasped her hand, holding on tightly, continuing to caress her forehead with warm, tender fingers until she felt herself drifting off, falling asleep or passing out from the pain, she was never really sure which.