Realistic or Modern More Than An Assignment

[Becboc]

It spoke volumes that Alannah's father was not the one to step forward to see his daughter. Alannah was close with all of her family, but she and her father had always held a special bond, one that meant that he already seemed to know that it was important that Cian was the one who went to sit by her bedside. Stuart had briefly filled them in on what had happened, but he hadn't failed to miss out how her bodyguard had been the one to stem the bleeding to her wound, had spent the past few weeks protecting her, and for that Mr Heshmati would be forever in his debt. So, the very least he could do now was allow the two of them to be together in his daughter's hour of need. Stuart had not gone into detail about the nature of Alannah and Cian's relationship - that wasn't his story to tell - but even a fool could see that there was more to it than their professions, in the way that Cian collapsed in relief upon hearing that his daughter was going to be okay. Watching the man walk past, his wife stopped him first and he did second, holding out his hand for Cian to shake, and clamping his other upon his large shoulder. The older man didn't say anything - he didn't need to - and once their moment had passed and Cian disappeared out of sight, Alannah's father engulfed his girls into his arms, closing his own eyes against the tears of comfort that came from knowing that Alannah was going to be okay.

On the hospital ward, Alannah was slowly beginning to come to. Her eyes were bleary, her brow furrowed as she fought through the heaviness that was clouding her mind. Something somewhere told her that she shouldn't be sleeping right now, that she had something important to do that she needed to wake up for... yet she couldn't quite place what it was. The sensation in her body was like that of having slept over an alarm and slowly coming to such a realisation through the fogginess of sleep. However, the more she struggled, the more that started to come back to her... her speech, the crowd, the applause... the gunshot.

Hazel eyes flickered to be met with the bright lights of the hospital wing, the light blue of the sheets of her bed. Her mind was flickering through images, feelings like an old disjointed movie; the pain in her stomach, the blood... Cian. It was when the image of her bodyguard, his face distorted with worry flicked to the forefront however, that Alannah couldn't help the little skip in her chest through her grogginess, the monitor at the side picking it up amongst the steady flow of the bleeps of her heart rate. Alannah glanced over at it, the wires that attached it to her body, the feeling of tubes rested up her nose. It would have been a little overwhelming if she hadn't then become aware of a warmth by her leg too, a presence... his presence. Her gaze landed upon Cian, head against the mattress his hand curled around hers. The sight of him caused a swell of emotion to rise within her; all of the fear, the heartbreak she had experienced in the moments before passing out where she had thought that she might never see him again. For all of her fear of what was to come, that thought had been by far the worst and she couldn't help but squeeze his fingers, her thumb tracing softly along his knuckles. Fuck, she wanted to wrap herself up in him, to never let go. But she couldn't. She couldn't move properly, didn't want to, for fear of the pain lurking within her torso. So in the end, she smacked her dry lips and tried to speak, her voice raspy, unlike her own, but... existent, and right now that as all that mattered.

"I knew it was only a matter of time before I caught you sleeping on the job." Alannah even managed a small smile but as the words came out, her eyes filled with tears and began to dribble from the corners, down her cheeks and onto the pillow beneath her head. When he finally looked up at her though, there was only happiness in her expression, relief and.... love. So much love. "Hey," she eventually whispered, her grip upon his hand tightening as her bottom lip wobbled, much like her mother's had done only moments ago. "You have no idea how happy I am to see you, McRannall."

 

[BoneBrain]

Hospitals were always uncomfortable places for Cian, not just because the sadness of watching someone hurt or sick heal, but also because hospitals were not built for people like Cian. He barely fit between the arm rests of the chair as he leaned over Alannah's bed. He had done his best not to take up any real space but in his restless sleep he'd certainly encroached on Alannah's bed. His hand had never left hers, even as he wriggled in his seat trying to find some place comfortable. He'd left her side only twice, both times to use the restroom and stretch his limbs before he hunkered down once more at her side.

Fellow patients in the room slumbered or watched tv and Cian caught glimpses of audio through the curtains. He recognized one to be a cooking show and another as some sort of home renovation show, but the one that captured his attention the most while Alannah slumbered was the audio of one of the newer Star Trek movies. He wondered if Alannah had ever seen them, and the idea of binging movies with her was so appealing he let himself drift off in that dream.

A soft squeeze on his hands pulled him from his dreams, and Cian rumbled softly at the sensation of Alannah's fingers tracing over the ridges of his knuckles. For a second he didn't move, his mind caught between wondering if he was dreaming or not, but when Alannah's raspy voice sounded his head lifted. Cian had seen Alannah dressed up to the nines, he'd seen her scared, happy and he'd witnessed her sorrow. But in this moment as the warmth of her gaze basked over him, she was so goddamn beautiful to him. His slow and easy smile unfurled and he gently lifted their joined hands so he could press his lips to the back of her hand.

"There she is." His tone was gruff and full of emotion. "Don't tell Stuart I fell asleep. I think he's finally starting to like me." Cian winked and pressed another kiss to Alannah's hand. "I'm so fucking glad to see you Sunshine. Don't ever do that again." Cian told her sternly and he bent forward a bit and with his free hand he cupped Alannah's face as her lower lip wobbled. He made a noise of concern and it looked like he wanted to say something more but he changed his mind at the last second. Instead he twisted and pressed the nurses call button. A few moments later a friendly looking black woman entered and Cian requested some ice chips for Alannah. He knew he could have gotten them himself but truly there was no way he was leaving Alannah's side anytime soon.

A few moments later Alannah was presented with a small paper cup filled with ice chips. "Not too many, but you can have enough to get rid of the cotton mouth." The nurse instructed before she left them once more. Cian was happy to hold onto the cup as Alannah let the cool melting water refresh her dry throat and mouth. He watched her, his dark eyes filled with storms, finally after she finished with the ice cubes he let his heart do the talking.

"Alannah." Cian cleared his throat and shifting in his seat. "I'm done waiting for the right and perfect moment to tell you. I don't know why I haven't just said it from the start, because honestly as soon as I saw your picture in my file I knew my life would be different. I love you. I don't want to spend another day with those words trapped inside me. I love you." Cian gave a watery laugh, his own tears threatening to spill over. In an effort to stop the tears he looked up at the ceiling, muttering to himself. "Fucking keep it together dude."

 

[Becboc]

Alannah couldn't help but giggle at Cian's response, despite her tears and despite the wince that shocked through her when the movement rattled her bruised body. She was just so damn happy to see him here, unharmed, much less grief stricken than when she last saw him that she didn't quite know what to do with all of the emotions the sight of him generated within her. "I'm sorry," she whispered with her choked up voice. "I'll try. You gotta admit though, it was some way to end a speech." Lifting up her free hand, slowly, she tried to wipe at her cheeks though this movement fell away again pretty quickly when it hurt her. Alannah had never been very good at realising that she needed to take things easy, but this time it was apparent that she really didn't have a choice. Not that anyone would let her forget it. Cian wouldn't and she knew for a fact that Stuart wouldn't, either.

Knowing what she needed before even she did, when Cian called the nurse and she returned with the ice chips, Alannah plucked them from the cup he held for her, dissolving each one on her tongue and allowing the heavenly cool to soothe her mouth and throat, unaware of what was bubbling within the man sat beside her, until he spoke her name, his voice not sounding entirely like his own. Frowning a little, Alannah watched him quietly but as she listened, her expression began to soften and more tears fell, happy tears, but tears nonetheless. God, what she would have done in the moment she'd laid in his arms, to be able to tell him those words and to properly hear them in return, to not have had to feel like she needed to grab onto them as though she was never going to hear them again. His muttered words were simply the cherry on top of the reminders of why she felt the way she did about him and unable to stop herself, Alannah lifted her hand, this time to Cian's cheek, the tubes tangling and wrapping awkwardly around her hand which only made her smile even more.

"I know," she whispered, her own voice still thick but less raspy now than it was. "I heard you before I... I mean I tried to tell you too, before I... I thought I'd never get to tell you." The words were a jumble as they came out, meshed with the pain behind her memories, and Alannah lifted her own swimming eyes in frustration with herself before they finally landed upon the love of her life again, the man who had changed her forever too. "I love you too. So much. In a way that I never even thought it was possible to love someone.” Alannah's voice broke as she said it, her pretty features eventually crumbling as the emotion finally got the better of her. She lifted her hand again to cover her face, biting down hard on her bottom lip to stop herself from sobbing. She was just so relieved, and so fucking happy, despite where she was and what had happened to her. None of that mattered so long as she was with him.

"Cian?" Alannah whispered, once she had finally managed to drop her hand again. "Can you kiss me now?"

Their kiss, if it happened, was sweet, and gentle and communicated everything that their words had too. Alannah kept him close to her for as long as she could, smiling as their noses rested against one another in a perfect moment of them just taking each other in and making the most of every second after their time together had been so threatened.

When Cian eventually sat back, and when Alannah had gulped some air back into her lungs, she looked over at him more calmly, their hands still closely linked together. "Is everyone else okay?" She asked, "Nobody else was harmed?" Then a pause came before her next question. "... Was it Sal? Did... Did they catch him?"

 

[BoneBrain]

She was pure sunshine and love, and Cian knew he would remember the moment those three words left her lips for the rest of his life. He couldn't quite explain the way his joy was manifesting in his body, but it felt like a warm fuzzy hug. Alannah requested her kiss and he was more than happy to oblige as he carefully leaned over her and pressed his lips to hers. She felt so right pressed against him and he lingered over her, as their lips whispered over one another's. When he finally relented and pulled away from her he did his best to settle back into the chair when she asked her next question.

"Sal did manage to hit a civilian, but as far as I know he's in the hospital and also on the way to recovery." Cian recounted. "As for Sal, he's going to go away for a long time. Stuart spoke to Smithe and Guybrush, they've got him behind bars and are ready to 'throw the book at him.'" Cian lifted his fingers to make air quotations as finished. "He's going away for a long, long time. Adam's will be instrumental when it all goes to court. He's offered to speak against his father in exchange for his own sentence being lessened. Last I heard, Stuart was discussing getting him community service hours in the office. " He smiled at Alannah, there was more to discuss there but that would come later. For now they could rest easy knowing they were both safe.

Cian never left Alannah's side during her recovery. As the days passed they were visited by a great number of concerned friends and family. Most brought Alannah stuffed animals or vibrant vases filled with flowers. By the end of the week Alannah's side of the hospital ward looked more like a flower shop, and Cian struggled to find a spot for the latest vase as their newest visitors- his parents settled next to Alannah's bed.

"Forgive me dearest, I couldn't keep myself away from meeting you any longer." Maeve McRannall gushed as she sat in the spot Cian had spent all of his time. "Donovan would not stop regaling me of your charms and well, I just had to come for a visit." Maeve's eyes, as dark and Cian's were lit with the sort of glow a mother got when she met her child's significant other. Her ebony hands reached out to brush a strand of Alannah's hair in a matronly way before she clucked over the sheets and how Alannah had been tucked in. "Good heaven's Cian, do you want to poor woman to freeze?!" Maeve scolded as she retucked the sheets around Alannah's feet.

"Sorry mom." Cian winced a little, his cheeks darkening with flush, and he resisted resting his forehead in the palm of his hand. Behind him Donovan merely chuckled as he gave his sons shoulder a squeeze.

"After you get back from your trip, you'll have to come and visit us for a spell." Maeve continued with her chatter as she finished her tucking and tutting.

"Mom!-" Cian's eyes widened at his mother, and he stepped towards the bed, his face aghast.

"What?" Maeve turned her head to glance at her son. "I didn't say anythin- oh... whoops. Well shame on you for not telling her after all this time." Maeve shook her head at him before turning to face Alannah and giving her a playful roll of her eyes. "Well come on then, show your dear Alannah what you've gotten for her."

Cian ever the pushover around his mother grimaced a little as he pulled the heavily creased paper from the pocket of his pants. Without a word he handed the paper with their reservation over to Alannah while his mother clapped her hands excitedly as Alannah unfurled the paper.

"I meant to give it to you... before everything." Cian explained.

 

[Becboc]

The more that Cian explained what had happened, the more Alannah felt her body relaxing back into the bed, sagging with relief, with something close to hope beginning to ignite within her. It felt like they had waited so long for this moment, so long to finally be safe and for the people around them to no longer be under any kind of threat. It was almost like Alannah had forgotten how not to worry; now that she knew the man who was responsible for all of this would no longer be breathing down her neck, she needed to become reacclimatised to not having to look over her shoulder everywhere that she went. She was suddenly free to think about her future, her and Cian's future, unhindered by the burden of danger, and there was nothing quite like a stream of people that she loved visiting her bedside to remind her of that.

Cian remained the constant, of course he did, but over the course of her recovery, Alannah spent time with all of the people she had loved before and all of the people she had grown to love over the course of the past few weeks. Her own family visited almost everyday, her mother bringing with her pans of homemade cooking that the hospital wouldn't really allow, so Cian had to take them home to freeze or have for his tea - her sisters brought chocolates and flowers and her father sat on her bed and held her hand every single visit. Her grandparents came when they could, bringing a small statue of Vishnu to watch over Alannah as she recovered, a statue that sat now by her bedside as Cian's family took the slot to visit her today. In short, Alannah had never felt so loved and that in itself seemed to be healing the painful hole in her stomach, little by little.

"I'm so pleased to finally meet you," Alannah beamed at Maeve, marvelling at how much she looked like her son. "Donovan and Cian both speak so highly of you, I feel as though I already know you." It was true, it almost felt a little like Alannah was in the presence of a celebrity and she couldn't help but giggle when the older woman began to fuss over her bed sheets, enjoying the dynamic between mother and son immensely, especially given the blush she saw darken Cian's cheeks.

Though, her attention was quickly stolen at the mention of a trip, and her brows furrowed a little in confusion at the interchange that took place following Maeve's apparent slip, which eventually ended with a crumpled piece of paper being handed her way. "Show me what?" She asked curiously, taking it from Cian and slowly opening it with eager fingers, hazel eyes roaming over the picture of the cabin surrounded by beautiful trees, the reservation details, the date, the time. Alannah's gaze flew up to meet the dark brown of Cian's, the information finally sinking in. Their little cabin in the woods. It was theirs, for a whole two weeks.

"Cian..." Alannah breathed, shaking her head a little. "This is... Is... this what I think it is? I don't know what to say." The room was quiet as Alannah struggled for words, before eventually holding the paper close to her chest, pressing it against her heart as if she wanted to seal it there forever.

"Thank you," she managed again, this time smiling her choked up gratitude amongst the images flashing through her mind, of the two of them curled up by a burning log fire, nothing but the sounds of the forest all around them. "It's just... beyond perfect. Do you think if we're careful, we could sneak out and go now? The doctors won't miss me, right?"

Maeve cackled as Donovan came up behind her, his hand on her shoulder which she happily leaned into as they watched the younger couple, Alannah holding her hand out to Cian so that she could take his fingers and press her lips to his knuckles. "Our cabin in the woods. You made it happen," she whispered up at him with a smile and then mouthed quietly into his palm, words that were meant for him and only him, words that she would never tire of saying. "I love you."

 

[BoneBrain]

If Cian's inner super spy had a favourite activity, it would have to be sneaking Alannah out of a busy hospital. After confirming with both the nurse and doctor that it would be alright for Alannah to move and making sure he had enough of her pain meds to last the trip, Cian got to work on his elaborate plan. His parents graciously offered to take care of the piles of gifts and clear the room after they left and Cian was forever grateful to them. The plan naturally involved a wheel chair, a doctors lab coat and substantial amount of clean sheets masquerading as laundry. After Alannah was comfortably seating in her wheelchair he wasted no time in arranging the sheets over her so that it looked like he was carting around a pile of laundry. Sadly the lab coat he'd acquired didn't fit over his shoulders and so it was with a reluctant sigh that he added it to the top of the pile Alannah was buried under.

If a few nurses saw Alannah's shoes peeking out from under the pile they kept their mouths shut, as the love sick fool with a grin a mile wide wheeled past them towards the elevator. They ditched the laundry and wheelchair by the front door and with Cian's help Alannah was soon tucked into the passenger seat of their rental SUV that they'd yet to return. They made a few stops and called a few people to let them know of their plans.

They arrived to the quaint little cabin in the woods hours later with their backseat and trunk filled to the brim with suitcases and coolers. The cabin seemed to be a mix of modern and classic architecture. Large clear panes filled the front of the A frame and the back, giving its occupants a clear view into the woods that surrounded them. Wildflowers grew along the stepping stone pathway that Cian helped Alannah along. He'd been warned to keep her from walking long distances and so he did his best to ensure she was seated comfortably on the large emerald green L shaped couch that looked out into the backyard of the cabin.

Cian quickly brought in the rest of their goodies before taking up his spot next to Alannah, in his hand he held one of the snacks they'd opened up in the car on the way up. He offered one of the sweets to Alannah before popping a few into his mouth. The room was quiet as the munched and looked out into woods. The cabins owners had set up a bird bath a little to the left of their view and Cian watched as a few small sparrows threw water over themselves.

"Well future Miss. Mayor. It looks like you're stuck with only me for two weeks." He leaned down, touching his head to hers as they watched the great outdoors. "After you get elected I promise to only beg for a reasonable amount of your time." He chuckled and gently nuzzled closer to her, being mindful of the healing she had yet to do. "I'm proud of you Sunshine. You are exactly what the city needs, and you're everything I need." He kissed her softly, brushing his lips over her temple, her cheek... and finally her mouth. Their breaths lingered as he whispered his love, now that the words were out in the open he loved taking each and every opportunity to use them. Images of the past few days flickered through his mind making his lips curve into a smile.

Alannah handing him the remote for the hospital T.V - "Thank you. Oh hey, I love you."
Alannah offering him half of her jello - "God you're adorable, also I love you."
Alannah sneezing softly and wincing as action pulled at her stiches - "Bless you, I love you, are you ok?"

He couldn't wait to use the words over and over again, truthfully he didn't think he would ever get sick of it. He leaned back, and turned his attention to the woman who sat next to him, pride and joy filling his cup over and over. Whatever would come next, he knew without a doubt they would handle it; together.

"Hey Alannah." His wofish grin was infectious. "I love you."

 

[Becboc]

As soon as the suggestion was out of her mouth, Cian and Alannah seemed to lock gazes, communication passing between them with no words needed. They both knew that her recovery was going well, that sitting still in the same hospital ward day after day was beginning to drive her stir crazy and so long as they took things carefully, completing her healing in the cabin in the woods would be better for her than remaining where she was, there was no doubt about it. And not to mention, she just really wanted to take their trip, as soon as possible.

Exiting the hospital beneath in a wheelchair beneath a pile of laundry wasn't exactly how she imagined she might leave, but Alannah wouldn't have had it any other way. It was an effort not to give the game away with her muffled giggles, or by moving her feet, but in the end and mainly thanks to Cian's bravado they managed it and he was whisking her away on their dream trip, after making all of the relevant stops too, of course, with most of her friends and family stopping to hug her through the window of the car, to save her from having to clamber in and out too many times.

Such careful consideration continued well into their journey and beyond, and when the world around them finally began to turn to dense forest, Alannah opened her car window to take in the smell of pine and the sounds of birdsong. The cabin once they reached it was even more idyllic than she could have imaged, with wild flowers leading them up the path to the front door, a wood burner fire place in front of the sofa, and beautiful floor length windows that felt like they brought the woods inside.

It wasn't long before Alannah was comfortably set up on the sofa, aided always by Cian who allowed her to lean on his arm, or who made sure her pillows were plumped just right to give her the support she needed. By the time that they were both settled down, swaddled in blankets with Alannah curled into Cian's side and the fire crackling in front of them, she felt more relaxed, happy and content than she had done for as long as she could remember, her head tilting back to look at her bodyguard when he spoke. "Gosh, two whole weeks, however will I cope?" She quipped back, bringing up a finger to tap the end of his nose with a chuckle. On the contrary, she couldn't think of anywhere else she would rather be. Kirkbridge, the election - both were important, but not as important as this. As him.

"Mm, and you are everything I need," Alannah smiled as Cian nuzzled into her, gently returning his kisses and using her hand to cup him closer to her. "More than a bodyguard, more than an assignment. You're my world, McRannall. I hope you know that." Their noses nudged, their breaths mingled, and when Cian grinned his I love you in a way they had both become very quickly accustomed to over the past few days, Alannah giggled and mirrored his expression.

"Hey Cian," she breathed, "Guess what? I love you too."