You Are On My Mind

You're The Greatest

Linda hated her body so much. It wasn't her physical appearance she hated- she thought she was a normal looking human being. She hated the inside of her body, specifically her hormones. She was having a perfectly fine day; she had had lunch with her best friend who was in town, had a slow work day, and a nice phone conversation with her husband. Then her cramps hit, then came her period.
It all crashed down when the family was eating dinner. She came back to get the second round of dishes when Danny saw her face. It looked like she wanted to cry or die, or maybe both.
"Are you okay?" He reached for her, but she turned before he could rub her back.
"No," she shook her head, the tearful lump threatening to spill over.
"How come?"
Linda didn't want to tell him in front of the person she knew would make her cry. "I'm in pain."
Danny looked to his Mom for help as Linda went quickly into the kitchen, gripping the plates tightly.
"She's menstruating." Mary almost whispered with a sympathetic look on her face. She never got cramps as badly as Linda, but she knew what a pain the whole process was.
"She doesn't have to do the dishes." Danny shook his head as he stood up. He walked to the kitchen where Jamie and Linda were cleaning up the mess. Linda was slowly, methodically putting away the leftover chicken breasts. He put his hand on hers, which her noticed was stiff.
Linda closed her eyes, biting her lip. She squeezed the tongs harder, hoping Danny wouldn't notice.
"Come on, baby. Lemme do this. Go relax."
Jamie looked over his shoulder, "you don't feel good?"
Linda shook her head, her blonde locks swishing across her shoulders.
"I'm sorry."
Danny took the tongs from her hand, resting his other hand on her lower back. "Go lie down upstairs. I'll be there in a few minutes."
Linda nodded, tears already falling from her eyes. She made the painful trek up the stairs, and sunk to her knees at the side of Danny's bed. She gripped the sheets as her emotions finally spilled over. She sobbed so hard, she started coughing, feeling nauseous.
*************
Danny frowned as he heard muffled sounds coming from his bedroom. He somewhat ran to the door, afraid Linda May have hurt herself. He knew she sometimes didn't think clearly when she was temporarily emotionally unstable. His heart broke when he saw her on her knees, her head on the bed, with her arms hiding her face. She shook with sobs she didn't even try to quiet.
Linda jumped when she felt a hand on her shoulder. She looked up and saw Danny kneeling next to her, looking very concerned.
"Honey?"
She sniffed loudly, "I'm sorry."
"It's okay." He rubbed her back and slowly tugged her to him. He hugged her tightly as she continued crying. After a few minutes, he pulled back and reached for the box of tissues he had been wise enough to grab. "Come on, baby. Dry your tears." He handed her a tissue and she blew her nose, holding her hand out for more.
Linda smiled softly when Danny started wiping away her tears. She closed her eyes as the soft tissue ran over her cheeks and down her neck. "If I wasn't in so much pain, I'd make a move."
Danny smiled, "so you owe me.... do you feel better now?"
"No."
"Can I help?"
"Make me feel worse?"
"No- I mean... is there anything I can do to help you feel better?"
"You're the greatest husband, you know that?" Linda wiped her nose, "most guys would run away scared, getting away from 'the crazy bitch'." She did air quotes, rolling her eyes at the mean accusation. "But not you."
Danny shrugged, "you're my wife. I love you."
Linda smiled and kissed his lips, "I love you, too...:. There is one thing you can do for me."
"What's that?"
"Take me home? You can stay for a while longer, but I..." she didn't finish as a cramp made itself known.
"Of course. And I'll be with you."
************
Linda fell asleep thinking about how lucky she was to have a husband as wonderful as Danny. Before she slipped into slumber, she looked over her shoulder at her husband. He was asleep already, one arm around her, making her know he loved her and would protect her.
"I love you, Danny." She whispered, picking up his hand and kissing it. She didn't see it, but when she said 'I love you', Danny smiled in his sleep.